IB 


A 

HISTORY 


OF  THE 


UNITED  STATES 


IN  CHRONOLOGICAL  ORDER 


FROM  A.D.  432  TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME 
&/ 


ST.  PAUL: 

THE  PIONEER  PRESS. 

1888. 


CCWYRIGHT,  1880. 

ROBERT  JAMKS  BKLFORI. 


PREFACE. 


The  present  work  gives,  on  a  somewhat  novel  plan,  a  complete 
history  of  the  United  States  from  the  earliest  times  to  the  present 
day.  No  work  of  the  same  compass  contains  anything  like  so  full 
and  detailed  a  record  of  the  events  of  that  history.  The  work- 
being  in  chronological  form,  events  are  recorded  in  the  exact  order 
in  which  they  happened;  and.  in  the  case  of  important  occurrences, 
the  precise  day  is  given.  The  history  is  not  a  mere  political  record; 
but  inventions,  discoveries,  and  financial,  economical,  scientific,  art, 
and  literary  matters,  and  the  deaths  of  important  personages,  are 
noted.  One  unique  merit  of  a  history  modelled  on  the  plan  of  the 
present  work  is  that  it  will  never  become  antiquated.  The  date 
of  an  important  event,  once  ascertained,  is  fixed  forever.  lot  being 
a  matter  of  opinion,  it  is  not  liable  to  change  with  the  fluctuating 
results  of  historical  criticism.  The  future,  consequently,  will  render 
necessary  only  the  addition  of  the  records  of  the  years  as  they 
pass,  so  as  to  keep  the  work  up  to  date.  Though  the  greatest 
care  has  been  taken  to  ensure  accuracy,  it  is  too  much  to  hope 
that,  in  the  immense  multiplicity  of  events,  names,  and  dates  recorded, 
errors  have  not  crept  in.  Should  the  reader  note  any  such,  the 
publishers  will  take  it  as  a  favor  to  be  informed  of  them,  with  a 

view  to  their  correction  in  subsequent  editions. 

EDITOR. 


!  !?!) 


PRINCIPAL   CONTENTS, 


Pre-historical  .  *  *       p^'fes       •  •  11 

Early  voyages  to  America          «*'     .;.».:     T'»        ...*•.—  •        11-13 
Columbus's  voyages               •"        -           •»           •           •  18 

Voyages  of  the  Cabots,  Verrazzano,  etc.  • -I         •  -        13-15 

De  Soto's  expedition  '  •  -  .    *  *•  15-16 

Early  French  settlements  -  16 

Spaniards  colonize  Florida  -  -  -  -  16 

Virginia  permanently  colonized  <  -  •        18 

Dutch  colonies  in  New  Netherlands  .  •  •  18-19 

The  Pilgrim  Fathers  colonize  Plymouth  -  -        20 

Settlements  in  New  Hampshire  and  New  Jersey    -  -  21 

Massachusetts  Bay  Co.  chartered  -  22 

The  Dutch  in  Delaware          -  -  .  .  .-  22 

Maryland  colonized          -  -  .  :     .   ^  •-        .  •        23 

Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  settled          -  -  •  '         24 

Swedes  colonize  Delaware  .....        25 

The  Dutch  of  New  Netherlands  annex  Swedish  settlements  in 

,%  Delaware  -  -  -  -  -  .  80 

Carolina  settled  ...  •*{-.  »       83 

Britain  conquers  the  New  Netherlands       -  -          y«  84-5 

Discovery  of  the  northern  Mississippi'  -  -38 

Pennsylvania  colonized        -  -  -  -  -  «  42 

La  Salle's  attempted  colonization  in  Texas       -  -  -        44-5 

The  English  revolution  of  1688        -  --          -  *  47 

Mississippi  colonized  by  the  French       -  •  -        51 

Washington  born        -  -  •      -•• »  .    :       »  60 

Britain  conquers  Cana.da  -  -  •  ^  69 

Canada  and  Florida  ceded  to  Britain          ...  69 

Britain  taxes  the  Colonies          -  .  -        70 

The  War  of  Independence  begins  -          -  79-80 

Declaration  of  Independence  -  -       82-3 

Burgoyne  surrenders  at  Saratoga  ...  86 

Cornwallis  surrenders  at  Yorktown       ...  -        95 
Peace  with  Britain;  the  Independence  of  the  United  States 

acknowledged;  Florida  ceded  to  Spain  -  96 

The  Colonies  form  a  Federal  Union       -          -  "  -      JOO-1 

The  first  National  Congress  meets  ...  102 

Washington  elected  first  President  -  -  -  -      102^ 

Vermont  admitted  to  the  Union       -          •  •  104 

Naval  warfare  with  France        -*       •  •U*-;  -      110-1 

Death  of  Washington  *  .          •         .  HI 


CONTENTS  (Continued). 

The  Louisiana  purchase  (1803)  ....  118 

War  with  Great  Britain  (181 2-4)    ....  117-9 

Florida  acquired  from  Spain  ....  121-3 

The  Missouri  Compromise  agreed  to  ...  122 

Seminole  war  in  Florida  ....  -  143-(> 

The  Ashburton  Treaty  signed;  the  boundary  between  Maine 

and  Canada  settled        -  -  -  •  -  150 

Fremont's  explorations,  and  the  opening  up  of  the  Great  West  156-:) 

The  Mexican  War  begins  .  -  -  -  163 

The  Oregon  boundary  question  settled  with  Britain  -  165 

Peace  with  Mexico;  New  Mexico,  California,  etc.  ceded  to  the 

United  States       -           -           -           -                      -  168-fi 
The  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill  passed,  virtually  annulling  the  Mis 
souri  Compromise                 ....  178 
The  Dred-Scott  case  decided            -                      -  186 
Lincoln  elected  President         •             -           -           -  195 
South  Carolina  secedes        ....            -  i**5 
The  Civil  War  begins                .            ....  198 
Lincoln's  Emancipation  Proclamation        ...  206-7 
The  Draft  Riots  in  New  York         -  211 
Lee  surrenders  to  Grant,  and  the  Civil  War  ends             -  216 
Lincoln  assassinated.        -•          .....  216 
Contest  between  President  Johnson  and  Congress          -        -  220 
The  Alaska  purchase                     -                                         -  221 
President  Johnson  impeached          -                                -            -  222 
Gold  panic  in  New  York  (''  Black  Friday  ")•             -  226 
The  Washington  Treaty  signed              -                        -  229 
The "  Tweed  Ring "  frauds  exposed             -           -  2«0 
The  Chicago  fire                           -  281 
The  Geneva  award  on  the  Alabama  claim  >             •  233 
The  Philadelphia  Centennial  Exhibition                         -           -  242 
The  Bland  Silver  Bill  passed            -                        -  &>( 
Specie  payments  resumed           -                      ~  252 
President  Garfield  assassin?  -> !                                            «  359 
Death  of  Gim.  Grant        -  360 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PRESIDENTS  OF  THE  U.  S. 

PAGE. 

George  Washington Frontispiece. 

John  Adams 12 

Thomas  Jefferson 24 

James  Madison 36 

James  Monroe 48' 

John  Quincy  Adams 60 

Andrew  Jackson 72 

Martin  Van  Buren 84 

Win.  Henry  Harrison 96 

John  Tyler 108 

James  K.  Polk 120 

Zachary  Taylor 132 

Millard  Fillmore 144 

Franklin  Pierce 156 

James  Buchanan 168 

Abraham  Lincoln 180 

Andrew  Johnson 192 

Ulysses  S.  Grant 204 

Rutherford  B.  Hayes 216 

x  James  A.  Garfield 228 

Chester  A.  Arthur 240 

Grover  Cleveland..  252 


HISTORY 

OF    THE 

UNITED    STATES 


The  native  races  of  northern  Asia  and  the  Indians  of 
America — both  North  and  South — are  classed  as  belonging  to 
the  same  Mongoloid  variety  of  the  human  race;  but  whether 
America  was  originally  peopled  from  Asia,  or  Asia  from  Amer 
ica,  is  a  problem  which  pre-historic  research  has  not  yet  solved. 
Columbus,  when  he  touched  land  in  1492,  believed  he  had 
reached  India,  and  consequently  called  the  natives  Indians. 
How  long  the  Continent  had  been  peopled  before  his  advent  is 
unknown,  but  ancient  remains,  such  as  the  mounds  in  the  Mis 
sissippi  valley,  the  pre-historic  copper-mines  south  of  Lake 
Superior,  and  the  shell-mounds  (kitchen-middings)  along  the 
sea-coasts,  attest  the  fact  than  an  aboriginal  people,  or  most 
likely  two  aboriginal  peoples,  had  existed  in  what  is  now  the 
United  States  for  an  indefinite  period  extending  over  many 
hundreds  and  perhaps  thousands  of  years.  Our  ancestors,  the 
colonists  of  this  country,  found  the  native  Indians  divided  into 
numerous  tribes,  speaking  different  languages  or  dialects.  East 
of  the  Mississippi  the  chief  of  these,  with  their  probable  num 
bers  about  A.  D.  1650,  were:  the  Algonquin  tribes,  90,000;  the 
Sioux  or  Dakotas,  3000;  the  Huron-Iroquois,  17;000;  Catawbas, 
3000;  Cherokees,  12,000;  Uchees,  1000;  Natchez,  4000;  and 
Mobilians,  50,000;  or  about  180,000  all  told. 

i..  D. 

432.  Fu-sang  (supposed  to  be  America)  visited  by  Buddhist  monks  from 

China  who  explore  the  coast. 
464.  Hoei-schin  (Universal  Compassion)  and  his  companions  start  on 

a  second  exploration,  which  may  have  reached  as  far  as  San 

Bias,  Mex. 
499.  Hoei-schin's  report  and  that  of  his  companions  are  entered  hi  the 

Chinese  Year  Books.* 

*  These  dates  are  from  Johan  Friedrich  Neumann's  translations  from 
the  Year  Books.  See  "Zobedj :  and  the  Chinese  in  America.  Buda- 
Pesth,  1849. "  1.  e.  British  Museum.  "  Fusang :  an  Inquiry  into  Chi 
nese  Discoveries  in  America. "  New  York,  1868.  "  The  Discovery 
of  America."  Erie,  Pa.,  1866. 


12 

:  tfabJ'irtdi 


Mstory  of  the   United  States. 
in.ako  settlements  on  the  east  and  south  coasts  ol 


Iceland,  'which"  are  maintained  for  nearly  a  century. 
860.  Iceland  discovered  by  the  Norsemen  and  named  Snow-land. 

865.  Flokko  takes  a  colony  to  Iceland,  but  all  the  cattle  perish  in  the 

winter. 

866.  The  colony  returns  to  Norway,  and  the  name  is  changed  to  Ice 

land.     • 

874.  Earl  Ingolf  successfully  plants  a  colony  in  Iceland,  atReykiavik. 

876.  Greenland  discovered  by  Gunnibiorn  from  the  inid-cha^nel. 

983.  Eric  the  Red  plants  a  colony  in  Greenland  at  Ericsford. 

995.  Bjarni  sails  from  Norway  to  find  his  father  in  Greenland.  Drivei 
out  of  his  course,  he  sails  along  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia,  New 
foundland,  and  Labrador,  until  he  reaches  Herjulfness  in  Green 
land.  These  are  the  first  Europeans  on  record  who  saw  tho 
shores  of  the  continent. 

1000.  Bjarni  having  been  greatly  blamed  in  Norway  for  not  landing  on 

the  unknown  chores,  Lief  the  Lucky,  son  of  Eric,  buys  his  ship, 
and  with  Bjarni  and  35  men  sails  back  along  the  coast.  New 
foundland  is  named  Flatland  ;  Nova  Scotia,  Woodland.  Th-3 
first  landing  is  on  an  island  near  Cape  Cod,  and  a  permanent 
camp  is  made  at  Mt.  Hope  Bay,  in  Rhode  Island,  the  country 
being  named  Vinland. 

1001.  The  expedition  returns  to  Greenland  loaded  with  grapes  an  3 

timber.     Lief  succeeds  his  father. 

1003.  Thorwald,  Eric's  brother,  leads  a  second  expedition  to  Vinland, 

wintering  in  Mt.  Hope  Bay,  and  exploring  Long  Island  Sound 
to  New  York  Harbor.  A  wooden  shed  is  found,  but  no  inhabi 
tants  are  yet  seen  by  any  one. 

1004.  Thorwald  explores  the  New  England  coast  and  kills  eight  Esqui 

maux.  A  skirmish  with  others  follows.  Thorwald  ia  killed,  and 
the  Esquimaux  escape  in  their  skin  boats.  Thorwald  is  buried 
on  the  shore  of  Massachusetts  Bay. 

1005.  The  expedition  returns  loaded  with  timber  and  fruit. 

1006.  Thorstein  sails  for  Vinland  to  bring  back  his  brother's  bones,  but 

returns  unsuccessful  and  dies. 

1007.  Thorfinn,  of  Iceland,  and  Thorvard,  Lief  s  brother-in-law,  sail 

with  three  ships  and  a  colony  of  140  men  and  women  from  Ice 
land  and  Greenland,  and  winter  at  Buzzard's  Bay,  after  stop 
ping  at  various  points  on  the  New  England  coast.  Snorri,*  first 
European  child,  born  to  Thorfinn  and  his  wife  Gudrid. 

1008.  The  winter  proves  severe  and  ten  colonist  start  back.    Reports 

say  they  land  in  Ireland  and  are  made  slaves.  The  others  con 
tinue  their  voyage  and  settle  at  Mt.  Hope. 

1009.  An  attack  by  Esquimaux  on  the  colony  is  repulsed. 

1010.  The  colony  returns  to  Greenland  with  two  Esquimaux  boys  a? 

prisoners. 

1011.  Two  ships  and  sixty  men  and  women  under  Thorvard  and  Helg. 

sail  for  Lief  's  booths  at  Mt.  Hope.  Their  followers  quarrel 
concerning  possession  of  the  bouses,  and  all  Helgi's  party, 


*  Ancestor  of  Thorwald'  Jen,  the  sculptor,  and  Magnusson,  the  scholar. 


History  of  the   United  States.  13 

1011.  thirty-seven  in  number,  are  murdered  by  the  others,   Freydis, 
Thorvard's  wife,  killing  five  women  with  an  axe. 

1012.  The  survivors  return.    Lief  refuses  to  punish  his  sister,  Freydis; 

but  the  horrors  of  that  winter  in  Vinland  end  further  attempts 

at  colonization.  * 
1170.  Madoc,  a  prince  of  Wales,  according  to  tradition  sails  westward 

with  a  fleet,  and  returns  to  report  that  lie  had  left  his  followers 

in  a  pleasant  country.     He  departs  again  with  ten  ships,  and  is 

never  heard  from  again. 
1380.  Nicolo  Zeno  sails  into  the  Atlantic  in  search  of  adventures,  visits 

Greenland,  and  reports  in  private  letters  the  discovery  of  many 

strange  lands  and  islands  not  now  in  existence. 
1887.  All  the  reports  of  Greenland  voyages  are  collected  in  the  "Codex 

Flatoiensis,  which  is  completed  in  1395,  and  deposited  in  the 

monastery  of  Flato,  Iceland,  f 
1467.  Columbus  visits  Iceland  on  a  trading  voyage. 
1484.  Alonzo  Sanchez  is  reported  to  nave  been  driven  by  a  storm  to  land 

across  the  Atlantic,  and  to  have  found  a  refuge  with  Columbus 

on  his  return. 

1492.  Columbus,  with  three  vessels,  sails  from  Palos,  in  Spain  (3  Aug.), 

and  discovers  one  of  the  Bahamas  (12  Oct. ,  0.  S.).  [Its  identity 
is  yet  undetermined ;  some  think  it  was  Cat  Island,  others 
Watling,  others  Grand  Turk ;  Capt.  Fox,  of  the  U.  S.  Navy, 
thinks  it  was  Samana  or  Atwood  Cay.]  Columbus  discovers 
Cuba  (28  Oct.) ;  Hayti  (6  Dec.),  and  there  builds  a  fort  and 
leaves  a  settlement  of  39  men  (Villa  de  la  Navidad). 

1493.  He  arrives  in  theTa^us  (4  March  \  and  in  Palos,  Spain  (15  March); 

sails  f r  m  Cadiz  (25  Sep.");  discovers  Porto  Rico  (Nov.);  reaches 
Hayti  (12  Nov.),  and  finds  Villa  de  la  Navidad  burnt  and  desert 
ed;  he  founds  Isabella,  Hayti  (Dec.). 

1494.  He  discovers  Jamaica  (3  May). 

1496.  San  Domingo,  in  Hayti,  is  founded  (4  Aug.). 

1497.  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot  discover  Prima,  Vista  (probably  Cape 

Breton),  24  June,  and  coast  along  North  America  for  900  miles. 

1498.  John  Cabot  again  explores  the  North  American  coast. 

1499    Sebastian  Cabot  explores  the  coast  from  Labrador  to  38°  N.    He 
calls  the  country  Baccallaos. 

1500.  The  Portuguese,  under  Gaspar  Cortereal,  explore  the  coast  be 

tween  60?  and  50*  N. 

1501.  He  goes  on  a  second  expedition,  with  two  ships,  and  brings  away 

57  natives  for  slaves  ;  his  ship  is  lost  and  he  is  never  heard  of 
again;  the  other  ship  reaches  Portugal  (8  Oct.),  with  7  natives. 


*  These  dates  are  taken  from  "Antiqnitates  Americana;  Antiquarian 
Society  of  Denmark,  Copenhagen ;"  and  the  " 

i  Now  in  the  Royal  Library  at  Copenhagen. 


14  tffistory  of  the   United  titates. 

1501.  Henry  VII.  issues  a  patent  to  colonize  the  New  World  ;  never 
acted  on.  Negro  slavery  is  authorized  in  Spanish  America 
by  royal  ordinance. 

1504.  French  mariners  establish  fisheries  off  Newfoundland  and  Cape 
Breton,  and  frequent  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 

1506.     Jean  Denis  aails  from  Honfieur  to  Newfoundland. 

1508.  Thomas  Aubert  and  Giovanni  da  Verrazzano,  a  Florentine, 

with  two  ships,  sail  from  Dieppe  to  Newfoundland  ;  discover 
and  name  the  River  St.  Lawrence,  and  ascend  it  about  180 
miles  ;  trade  with  the  natives,  and  carry  7  back  to  France. 

1509.  Juan  de  Esquibal  makes  the  first  Spanish  settlement  in  Ja 

maica.  Borriquen  Island  (Porto  Rico)  is  subjugated,  and 
Juan  Ponce  de  Leon  made  governor. 

1510.  A  Spanish  settlement  is  made  at  Santa  Maria  de  la  Antigua, 

on  the  isthmus  of  Darien,  with  Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa  as 
governor. 

1511.  Diego  Velasquez,  with  300  Spaniards,  overruns  and  conquers 

Cuba,  and  founds  Baracoa. 

1512.  A  Spanish  expedition  from  Porto  Rico,  under  Ponce  de  Leon, 

discovers  the  east  coast  of  Florida,  30°  8'  N.  (2  Ap.),  doubles 
Cape  Florida,  and  explores  the  coast  as  far  as  Apalachee  Bay, 
and  claims  the  country  for  Spain. 

1513.  Balboa  crosses   the   isthmus  of  Panama,  and    discovers  tke 

Pacific  Ocean  (25  Sep.). 

1514.  Santiago,  in  Cuba,  founded. 

1515.  Velasquez  founds  San  Cristobal,  in  Cuba,  at  the  mouth  of  the 

river  Giiines. 

1516.  Diego  Miruelo,  a  Spanish  sea-captain  of  Cuba,  traffics  with  the 

natives  of  Florida. 

1517.  Francisco  Hernandez  de  Cordoba  sails  from  Cuba  (Feb.)  ;  dis 

covers  and  explores  Yucatan  ;  touches  at  Florida  ;  and  re 
turns  to  Cuba.  S.  Cabot  discovers  the  inland  sea  afterwards 
called  Hudson  Bay. 

1518.  Juan  de  Grrjalva  sails  from  Cuba  (1  May),  explores  the  coast 

from  Yucatan  to  Panuco,  and  names  the  country  Mexico. 

1519.  Hernando  Cortez,  with  800  men,  sails  from  Cuba  (18  Feb.)  to 

Mexico,  and  founds  Vera  Cruz ;  he  conquers  Mexico  (Nov.). 
The  settlement  at  St.  Cristobal,  Cuba,  is  transferred,  under 
the  name  of  Havana,  to  its  present  site.  Three  ships,  under 
Alonso  Alvarez  de  Pineda  (sent  by  Francisco  de  Garay,  gov 
ernor  of  Jamaica),  explore  the  coast  from  Florida  to  Panuco 
in  Mexico,  passing  the  mouth  of  the  "River  of  the  Holy 
Spirit"  (Mississippi) ;  Alvarez  and  many  of  his  followers  are 
killed  by  the  natives. 

1520.  Spaniards  from  Hayti,  under  Lucas  Vasquez  de  Ay  lion,  explore 

the  coast  of  Chicora  and  Gualdape  (S.  Carolina  and  Georgia), 
as  far  as  the  river  Jordan  (Santee,  or  Combahee),  and  take  off 
two  ship-loads  of  natives  for  slaves  ;  one  of  the  ships  is  lost. 

1521.  Ponce  de  Leon  returns  to  Florida,  but  is  mortally  wounded  by 

the  natives,  and  his  party  is  beaten  off. 

1524  Verrazzano  sails  with  two  ships  from  France  ;  reaches  Madeira  ; 
sails  thence  with  one  ship  (1?  Jan.) ;  reaches  Nuova  Terra, 
"the  New  Land"  (10  Mar.,  O.  S.),  in  lat.  84°  N.  (near  Cape 
Fear,  N,  C.) :  explores  the  coast  from  Florida  to  Newfound- 


History  of  the   United  States.  15 

land — passes  the  mouth  of  the  Chesapeake  in  the  night;  lands 
and  sights  Chesapeake  Bay,  believing  it  to  be  the  Western 
Sea  (the  Pacific  or  Indian  Ocean,  Mare  Indicum) ;  discovers 
(Ap.)  the  Cape  of  St.  Mary  (Sandy  Hook),  the  Narrows,  Upper 
New  York  Bay,  and  the  mouth  of  the  "Grande "  or  " Great" 
River  (the  Hudson) ;  coasts  along  Long  Island  ;  discovers 
Luisa  Island  (Block  Island,  R.  I.) ;  anchors  in  Narragansett 
Bay  (21  Ap.  to  6  May,  O.  S.) ;  discovers  Martha's  Vineyard 
and  Nantucket ;  coasts  along  Maine  to  43°  N.,  and  thence  to 
50°  N.,  and  sails  to  France,  reaching  Dieppe  (July).  He  held 
intercourse  and  traded  with  the  natives  at  various  points, 
and  claimed  for  France  the  whole  territory,  which  soon 
became  known  as  Francesca.  The  portion  from  the  Great 
River  (Hudson)  to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  became  known  as 
La  Terre  ffAnormee  Berge,  "  the  Land  of  the  Grand  Scarp," 
so  called  from  the  Palisades  on  the  Hudson,  afterwards  ab 
breviated  into  Noromberge,  Noremberge,  Norumberge,  or 
Norumbega. 

1535.  De  Ayllon  sails  from  Hayti.  with  6  vessels,  and  500  men  ; 
again  visits  Chicora,  but  over  200  are  killed  by  the  natives, 
150  arrive  at  Hayti ;  Ayllon  dies  (18  Oct.). — A  Spanish  ship, 
under  Stephen  Gomez,  enters  the  bays  of  "the  Land  of 
Gomez  "  (New  York  and  New  England)  in  search  of  a  north 
west  passage  to  the  Pacific,  and  carries  off  a  cargo  of  Indians 
as  slaves. 

1526.  Verrazzano  makes  a  third  voyage  to  America,  but  he  and 
some  of  his  men  are  killed,  roasted,  and  eaten  by  the  natives 
in  presence  of  those  on  board  ship. 

1528.  A  party  of  300  Spaniards,  under  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez,  land 
(probably  in  Apalachee  Bay,  Flac),  journey  800  miles  through 
the  interior,  embark  at  Pensacola,  but  are  lost  at  sea  except 
four  survivors,  who,  after  eight  years  of  hardship,  reach  the 
Pacific,  at  Spnora,  through  Mexico. 

1534.  Jacques  Cartier,  under  a  commission  from  Francis  I.,  leaves 

France  (20  Ap.).  lands  in  and  takes  possession  of  Labrador  for 
France  ;  discovers  the  Strait  of  Belleisle  ;  enters  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence ;  sails  for  France  (15  Aug.) ;  reaches  St.  Malo 
(5  Sep.). 

1535.  Grijalva's  expedition  from  Mexico,  equipped  by  Cortes,  dis 

covers  California. 

1535.  Cartier  ascends  the  St.  Lawrence  as  far  as  Hochelaga  (Montreal) 

and  claims  the  country  (New  France  or  Canada)  for  France. 
He  winters  near  Quebec,  and  returns  to  France  (May,  1536) 
with  10  kidnapped  Indians,  reaching  St.  Malo  (6  July). 

1536.  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  a  Spaniard,  traverses  New  Mexico,  Colorado, 

and  Arizona,  visiting  Zuni,  N.  M.,  and  reaches  the  Pacific  at 
Sonora. 

1538.     Havana  is  partially  destroyed  by  pirates. 

1 589-43.  Fernando  de  Soto,  with  600  Spaniards,  sails  from  Havana 
(May,  1539)  ;  journeys  through  Florida  and  Georgia  ;  fights  a 
battle  with  the  natives  (Oct.  1540)  at  Mavilla  (on  the  Alabama, 
below  Selma,  Ala.) :  discovers  the  Mississippi  (1541)  ;  pushes 
north- west  to  the  Ozark  Mountains  ;  and  returning  discovers 
the  Hot  Spring-s.  and  the  Arkansas  and  Red  Rivers,  and  dies 


16  History  of  the  United  State-" 

of  fever  near  the  site  of  Natchez  (21  May,  1541),  and  is  buried 
in  the  Mississippi.  His  followers  attempt  vainly  to  reach 
Mexico  by  land  ;  return  to  the  Mississippi,  build  boats,  descend 
the  river  (June,  1543),  and  make  their  way  along  the  coast  to 
the  river  Pauuco,  Mexico,  which  is  reached  by  811  survivors 
(Sep.  1543). 

1540.  Jean  Franyois  de  la  Roque,  Sieur  de  Roberval,  is  made  viceroy 

of  New  France  (16  Jan.).  About  this  date  French  fur-factors 
erect  a  fortified  trading-house  (called  Le  Fort  d'Anormee 
Berge)  on  an  island  in  a  small  fresh- water  lake  on  Manhattan 
Island.  About  this  date  they  also  partly  build  a  castle  on 
Castle  Island  (now  Van  Rensselaer's  Island),  in  the  Grand 
River  (Hudson),  near  the  site  of  Albany,  but  the  structure  is 
damaged  by  a  freshet  and  abandoned.  [The  fresh- water  lake 
on  Manhattan  Island  then  covered  the  district  between  what 
are  now  Franklin,  Elm,  Duane,  and  Baxter  Streets,  and  emp 
tied  into  the  Hudson  at  Canal  Street.  In  1796  John  Fiteh 
navigated  his  steamboat  on  this  lake,  which  was  then  called 
the  Collect  Pond.] 

1541.  Cartier  sails  from  St.  Malo  (May),  erects  a  temporary  fort  at 

Quebec,  winters  at  Hochelaga,  and  returns  to  France  (June, 
1542). 

1542.  A  French  expedition  under  Roberval,  with  Jean  Alphonse  as 

pilot,  sails  to  America,  explores  Long  Island  Sound,  and  as 
cends  the  Norombegue  or  Grand  River  (Hudson)  to  the  head 
of  navigation  ;  but  the  French  abandon  the  country  in  1543. 

1542.  Spaniards  from  Mexico,  under  Cabrillo,  a  Portuguese,  trace  the 
Pacific  coast  as  far  as  43°  30'  N.  (the  Umpqua  River,  Oregon). 

1547.  Puritanism  takes  its  rise  in  England  in  the  reign  of  Edward 
VI. 

1549.  Roberval  /s  said  to  have  again  sailed  from  France  for  America, 
but  he  never  returned,  and  probably  perished  at  sea. 

1549.  Louis  Cancello,  a  Spanish  Dominican,  goes  to  Florida  <*s  a 
missionary,  but  is  killed  by  the  natives,  and  his  party  is 
beaten  off. 

1556.  Andre  Thevet,  a  French  geographer,  on  his  return  from  Brazil 
to  France,  coasts  along  North  America  from  Florida  to  New 
foundland. 

i562.  French  Huguenots,  under  Jean  Ribault,  discover  the  river 
May  (the  San  Matheo  of  the  Spaniards,  now  the  St.  Johns), 
Florida  (Ap.)  ;  build  at  Port  Royal  (S.  C.)  a  fort,  named  Caro 
lina  after  Charles  IX.  :  and  leave  26  colonists.  They  are  re 
duced  by  famine  ;  the  remnant  embark,  and  are  picked  up  by 
an  English  vessel. 

1562.  Sir  John  Hawkins  transports  a  cargo  of  negroes  from  Africa 
to  Hayti,  and  so  begins  the  English  slave-trade. 

1564.  A  French  expedition,  under  Rene  Goulaine  de  Laudonniere  and 

Ribault,  reaches  Florida  (22  June),  erects  Fort  Carolina  at  the 
mouth  of  the  May  (St.  Johns),  and  leaves  a  colony. 

1565.  These  colonists  are  relieved  by  Hawkins  (May) ;  afterwards  bj 

Ribault.  An  expedition  "from  Spain  under  Pedro  Menendez 
de  Aviles  drives  off  Ribault's  fleet  (Aug.),  and  founds  St. 
Augustine  (8  Sep.),  the  oldest  town  in  the  U.  S.  Ribault's 
fleet  is  wrecked  on  the  coast.  Menendez  captures  Fort  Caro- 


History  t//  tue  United  States.  17 

lina,  massacres  nearly  200  men,  women,  and  children  (21  Sep.), 
only  a  few  escaping" ;  he  also  massacres  the  survivors  from 
the  shipwreck. 

1567.  A  French  expedition  under  Dominic  de  Goirges  attack  the 
Spaniards  at  Fort  Carolina,  Fla.,  with  partial  success  ;  hang 
all  their  prisoners  (3  May,  1568)  in  revenge  for  the  massacre  : 
but  return  to  France,  and  Spain  retains  dominion  over 
Florida. 

1578.  One  hundred  and  fifty  French  vessels  are  engaged  in  the  New 

foundland  fisheries. 

1579.  Drake  sails  along  the  Pacific  coast  as  far  as  43°  N.  (Cape  Blanco, 

Oregon),  naming  the  country  New  Albion. 

1580.  The  rise  of  the  Independents  in  England  under  Robert  Brown. 

1584.  Philip  Amidas  and  Arthur  Barlow,  sent  out  by  Raleigh,  land 

on  Wocoken  Island  (N.  C.)  in  July  ;  take  possession  of  the 
country  in  the  name  of  the  Queen,  who  names  it  Virginia  ; 
and  return  to  England  (Sep.)  with  2  natives. 

1585.  Sir  Richard  Grenville,  acting  for  Raleigh,  leaves  a  colony  on 

Roanoke  Island  (N.  C.),  under  Ralph  Lane. 

1586.  These  colonists  massacre  the  Indians  and  explore  the  coast- 

Drake  arrives  (June),  and  takes  them  back  to  England,  where 
they  introduce  tobacco  and  the  potato.  Shortly  afterward 
Grenville  arrives  and  leaves  another  colony  of  15  on  Roanoke 
Island. 

1587.  A  fleet  under  John  White,  sent  by  Raleigh,  arrives  and  finds 

the  colony  destroyed  by  the  Indians  (July).  He  leaves 
another  colony  of  108,  builds  a  fort,  and  founds  Raleigh. 
Virginia  Dare,  the  first  English  child  born  in  the  U.  S.,  is 
born.  Two  vessels,  despatched  by  Raleigh  to  relieve  the 
colony,  are  driven  back  by  the  Spaniards. 

1590.  White  sails  to  Roanoke,  finds  the  colony  destroyed,  and  returns 
to  England.  The  fate  of  the  colonists  has  never  been  ascer 
tained. 

1597.  Two  Dutch  expeditions  (under  Bikker  and  Leyen)  voyage  to 

America. 

1598.  The  Marquis  de  la  Roche  forms  a  temporary  French  settlement 

on  Sable  Island,  off  Nova  Scotia. 

1600.  A  written  plan  for  a  Dutch  West  India  Co.  is  communicated  to 
the  States-General,  but  is  not  acted  on. 

1602.  An  English  expedition  under  Bartholomew  Gosnold,  sent  by 

the  Earl  of  Southampton,  discovers  Massachusetts  Bay,  lane", 
at  Cape  Cod  (14  May),  builds  on  Cuttyhunk  (one  of  the  Elifc 
beth  Islands)  the  first  house  in  Massachusetts,  and  a  fort,  be 
gins  a  colony  there,  and  traffics  with  the  natives  ;  all  return 
to  England  (June). 

1603.  Henry  IV.  makes  Samuel  de  Chainplain  general-lieutenant 

of  Canada  ;  he  sails  from  Honfleur  (15  Mar.),  enters  the  St. 
Lawrence,  and  selects  Quebec  as  a  site  for  a  fort.  Henry  IV. 
grants  (Nov.)  to  De  Monts  the  territory  (Acadia)  from  40°  to 
46°  N.  (i.e.,  from  the  latitude  of  Philadelphia  to  that  of  Mon 
treal). 

1603  Queen  Elizabeth  dies  (24  Mar.) ;  James  I.  succeeds.  Martin 
Pring  sails  from  England  (Ap.),  and  explores  the  coast  of 
Maine  and  Massachusetts. 


18  History  of  the   United  State*. 

1604.  De  Monts  sails  from  Franco  (Mar.),  and   attempts  a  settle 

ment  and  erects  a  fort  on  St.  Croix  Island  (Maine)  ;  Poutrin- 
court,  one  of  De  Monts'  leaders,  settles  at  Port  Royal  (Nova 
Scotia). 

1004.  James  I.  threatens  to  make  the  Puritans  conform  or  "harry 
them  out  of  the  kingdom  or  else  worse." 

1605.  Champlainand  De  Monts  sail  from  France  ;  remove  the  French 

colony  from  St.  Croix  to  Port  Royal  (N.  S.);  visit  the  river 
St.  John  (N.  B.)  and  Grand  Manan  Island  ;  explore  the  coast 
as  far  as  Cape  Cod ;  and  claim  the  country  for  France. 
Champlain  returns  to  France  in  1607,  and  Port  Royal  is  de 
serted  in  a  few  years. 

1605.  George  Weymouth,  sent  by  the  Earl  of  Southampton,  explores 

the  coast  of  Maine  (May),  enters  the  Penobscot,  and  carries 
home  five  natives. 

1606.  Pring  again  explores  the  coast  of  Maine. 

1606.  James  I.  grants  a  patent  (10  Ap.)  to  colonize  "  Virginia "  to 

two  companies :  one  for  Southern  Virginia  (34°-38°  N.),  the 
London  Co.;  the  other  for  Northern  Virginia  (41°-45°  N.),  the 
West  of  England  Co.;  the  intermediate  district  (38°-41°  N..* 
open  to  both  companies.  The  London  Co.  sends  3  ships  witi 
105  emigrants,  under  Newport,  Gosnold,  and  John  Smith,  to 
Southern  Virginia  (19  Dec.). 

1607.  The  expedition  enters  Chesapeake  Bay  (26  Ap.),  and  founds 

at  Jamestown  (14  May)  the  first  permanent  English  colony  in 
the  United  States  ;  50  die  before  Sep.,  including  Gosnold. 
Smith,  while  exploring  the  Chickahominy,  is  captured  by 
Indians  (Dec.),  but  after  about  three  weeks'  detention  is  sent 
back  by  Powhatan  to  Jamestown.  The  story  as  to  his  life 
being  saved  by  Pocahontas  is  apocryphal,  having  been  in 
vented  by  Smith  some  years  afterwards. 

1607.  The  West  of  England  Co.  send  two  ships,  under  Raleigh  Gilbert 

and  George  Popham,  to  colonize  "  Northern  Virginia ;  "  they 
arrive  at  the  Sagadahoc  (Kennebec),  Maine  (Aug.),  and  leave 
45  emigrants  at  "  St.  George  ;  "  but  Popham  dies,  they  suffer 
hardship,  and  return  to  England  in  1608. 

1608.  Puritans   ("Pilgrims")  under  Robinson   and  Brewster  leave 

England  to  escape  persecution,  and  settle  at  Leyden,  in  Hol 
land. 

1608.  Champlain,  acting  for  merchants  of  Dieppe  and  St.  Malo,  sails 

from  France,  and  founds  Quebec,  the  first  permanent  French 
settlement  in  Canada. 

1609.  He  allies  with  the  Hurons  against  the  Iroquois  (Five  Nations), 

and  in  company  with  Hurons  discovers  and  explores  Lake 
Champlain.  (The  Five  Nations  were  the  Onondagas,  Sene 
cas,  Cayugas,  Oneidas,  and  Mohawks ;  they  occupied  the 
country  south  of  Lake  Ontario,  from  the  Niagara  River  to  the 
Hudson.) 

1609.  An  Anglo-Dutch  expedition  under  Henry  Hudson,  sent  by  the 
Dutch  East  India  Co.,  sails  from  Amsterdam  (4  Ap.),  sights 
Cape  Cod  and  names  the  country  New  Holland  ;  discovers 
Delaware  Bay  (28  Aug.);  enters  Lower  New  York  Bay  (3  Sep.), 
and  the  Hudson  (11  Sep.),  which  he  ascends  beyond  Albany; 
he  names  the  country  New  Netherlands. 


History  of  the    CTtiited  States.  19 

1609.  A  new  charter  to  the  London  Co.  (23  May)  limits  their  territory 

to  200  miles  north  of  Old  Point  Comfort.  Smith's  administra 
tion  gives  dissatisfaction  to  the  colonists,  and  he  is  deposed 
and  sent  to  England  (Sep. ).  The  Co.  appoint  Lord  Delaware 
governor. 

1610.  Lord  Delaware  arrives  in  Virginia  with  emigrants  and  supplies 

(June),  but,  falling  ill,  returns  home  ;  the  colonists  number 
about  200. 

1610.  The  Dutch  put  up  a  few  rude  hovels  on  Manhattan  Island,  as 

a  temporary  summer  shelter  for  the  sailors  ;  the  origin  of 
New  York  City. 

1611.  Sir  Thomas  Dale  arrives  in  Virginia  as  governor,  with  emi 

grants  (10  May),  and,  to  save  the  colony  from  anarchy  and 
ruin,  he  institutes  martial  law.  Sir  Thomas  Gates  arrives 
as  governor  (Aug.),  with  6  ships  and  300  emigrants,  making 
700  colonists  in  all.  Dale  founds  Henrico  (now  Richmond). 

1611.  French  Jesuit  priests  arrive  in  Acadia  (June),   and  convert 

some  natives. 

1612.  A  third  charter  of  "  Southern  Virginia  "  is  granted  to  the  Lon 

don  Co.  (Mar.),  creating  a  democratic  form  of  government. 
Lotteries  are  established,  whicli  bring  the  Co.  £29,000. 

1612.  De  Biencourt  and  Father  Biart  explore  the  coast  of  Maine  as 

far  as  the  Kennebec,  ascend  the  river,  and  acquire  the  friend 
ship  of  the  Abenakis,  Algonquins,  and  Canibas. 

1613.  Captain  Samuel  Argall  captures  Pocahontas,  who  is  baptized 

and  marries  John  Rolfe  (5  Ap.>,  and  is  thenceforth  known  as 
Rebecca  Rolfe. 

1613.  De  Saussaye  (or  Saucy)  erects  a  French  colony  at  St.  Sauveur, 

Mount  Desert  Island,  Maine.  Native  converts  perform  re 
ligious  services.  Argall,  in  an  armed  vessel  from  Virginia, 
captures  and  pillages  St.  Sauveur,  and  destroys  De  Monts' 
deserted  settlements  at  St.  Croix  and  Port  Royal.  He  enters 
New  York  Harbor  and  finds  some  hovels  erected  by  the 
Dutch  on  Manhattan  Island. 

1614.  Gates  returns  to  England,  leaving  Dale  as  deputy-governor  of 

Virginia.  Tobacco  is  widely  planted  and  becomes  the  staple 
product  and  currency.  White  servants  begin  to  be  bought 
in  England  for  service  in  Virginia,  to  be  resold  there  to  the 
highest  bidder. 

1614.  John  Smith  sails  from  England  (Ap.),  and  explores  the  coast 
from  the  Penobscot  to  Cape  Cod,  and  names  the  country 
New  England. 

1614.  The  Dutch  States-General  grants  a  four-years'  monopoly  of 
trade  to  adventurers  trading  with  America  ;  the  Dutch  erect 
a  rude  fort  on  Manhattan  Island,  and  call  it  New  Amsterdam 
(now  New  York)  ;  Adrian  Blok  sails  through  East  River  and 
discovers  Long  Island  to  be  an  island. 

1614.  Le  Caron,  a  Franciscan,  penetrates,  by  way  of  Canada,  the 

country  of  the  Mohawks  south-east  of  Lake  Ontario. 

1615.  The  Dutch  establish  a  commercial  post  at  Auranea  or  Orange 

(now  Albany),  on  Castle  Island  in  the  Hudson,  on  the  site 
of  the  castle  begun  by  the  French  about  1540. 

1616.  Governor  Dale  and  Pocahontas  go  to  England  (June) ;  during 

the  winter  she  becomes  the  most  distinguished  person  in 


y  of  the    United  S 


London  society.  —  English  colonists,  under  Richard  Vines, 
settle  temporarily  at  Winter  Harbor,  Maine. 

1617.  Pocahontas  dies  in  England  (Mar.),  aged  21  or  22,  leaving  one 

son,  Thomas  Rolfe.  Argall  is  appointed  deputy-governor  of 
Virginia  (May)  ;  he  rules  tyrannically  ;  martial  law  is  still  in 
force. 

'618.  Powhatan,  father  of  Pocahontas,  dies;  Opechancanough  suc 
ceeds. 

1618.  The  mutineers  of  Rocraft  winter  on  Monhegan  Island,  Maine. 

The  Dutch  establish  a  trading  station  at  Bergen,  on  Kill  van 
Kull  (N.  J.). 

1619.  Argall  is  removed  from  the  governorship  of  Virginia  ;   Sir 

George  Yeardley,  his  successor,  arrives  (Ap.),  and  convenes 
(19  June)  at  Jamestown  a  colonial  assembly,  based  on  univer 
sal  suffrage,  the  first  representative  body  in  America.  1261 
emigrants  are  sent  out,  including  90  young  women  for  wives, 
and  100  convicts  to  be  sold  as  "servants." 

1620.  Champlain  begins  Fort  St.  Louis,  at  Quebec. 

1620.  Sixty  young  women,  sent  to  Virginia  as  wives,  are  bought  at 
from  120  to  150  Ibs.  of  tobacco  each.  Tobacco  is  worth  3s.  a 
Ib.  The  commerce  of  Virginia,  hitherto  monopolized  by  the 
London  Co.,  is  made  free.  A  Dutch  man-of-war  lands  20 
negroes  for  sale  at  Jamestown  (Aug.),  and  so  introduces  negro 
slavery  and  the  slave-trade.  The  conditional  servitude  of 
whites,  under  indentures,  had  from  the  first  existed  in  Vir 
ginia,  the  "servants"  becoming  a  common  article  of  traffic, 
salable  for  from  £40  to  £60.  During  the  next  three  years 
3500  emigrants  arrive  from  England. 

1620.  The  Pilgrim  Fathers,  under  Brewster,  leave  Holland  (22  July), 
and  England  (6  Sep.)  in  the  Mayflower  ;  sight  land  (7  Nov.)  ; 
moor  in  Cape  Cod  Harbor  and  adopt  a  constitution  (9  Nov., 
O.  S.)  ;  coast  for  a  landing-place  ;  repel  an  attack  of  Indians  ; 
and  finally  land  at  Plymouth  Rock  (21  Dec.,  N.  S.),  101  souls 
in  all,  one  having  been  accidentally  drowned.  John  Carver 
is  elected  governor.  One-half  perish  from  cold  and  hardship 
before  spring.  The  Mayflower  returns  to  England  (5  Ap., 
1621). 

1620.  At  the  instance  of  John  Smith,  James  I.  grants  to  the  Plym 

outh  Co.,  of  England,  consisting  of  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorge? 
and  39  others,  a  patent  to  colonize  "New  England,"  betweei, 
40°  and  48°  N.,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  The  House 
of  Commons  strongly  opposes  this  charter. 

1621.  The  Plymouth  Co.  grants  to  John  Mason  the  land  between  the 

Salem  and  the  head  of  the  Merrimac  (Mar.  )  ;  to  the  Pilgrims 
their  territory  (1  June)  ;  and  to  Sir  W.  Alexander  the  terri 
tory  east  of  the  St.  Croix  and  south  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
called  Nova  Scotia,  and  including  Acadia  (Sep.). 

1621.  The  Pilgrims  make  a  treaty  of  amity  with  the  Pokanokets 
under  Massasoit  (Mar.)  ;  Carver  dies  (5  Ap.),  Wm.  Bradford  is 
elected  governor  in  his  place.  Other  chiefs  submit  to  James  I. 
(Sep.).,  including  Canonicus,  chief  of  the  Narragansetts. 

1621.  Cotton  is  first  planted  in  Virginia.  The  London  Co.  grants 
(24  July)  a  constitution  to  Virginia,  conferring  self-govern 
ment  and  trial  by  jury,  which  Sir  Francis  Wyatt,  the  new 


History  of  the   United  States.  21 

governor,  takes  to  the  colony.  Silk  culture  engages  the  at 
tention  of  the  assembly  (Nov. -Dec.). 

1621.  The  Dutch  West  India  Co.,  with  rights  from  the  Straits  of 

Magellan  to  the  farthest  north,  is  incorporated  for  24  years 
(June).  It  takes  possession  of  the  New  Netherlands  in  1622. 
1682.  In  revenge  for  the  murder  of  an  Indian  brave,  the  Indians 
massacre  the  colonists  in  Virginia  (22  Mar.) ;  347  killed,  many 
plantations  deserted,  and  their  number  reduced  from  80  to 
8.  Intermittent  warfare  results  for  24  years,  until  1646. 

1622.  The  Plymouth  Co.  grant  to  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges  and  John 

Mason  the  territory  ("Laconia")  between  the  St.  Lawrence, 
Merrimac,  Kennebec,  and  the  ocean  (Aug.). 

1623.  The  Virginia  colonists  number  2500  ;  they  attack  the  Indians 

(July). 

1623.  An  English  Co.  settle  Portsmouth  and  Dover,  on  the  Piscat- 
aqua,  under  Gorges  and  Mason's  grant.  Weston,  under  a 
grant  from  the  Plymouth  Co.,  fails  in  an  attempt  to  found  a 
colony  of  60  persons  at  Wessagussett  (now  Weymouth,  Mass.); 
the  first  plantation  in  Boston  Harbor.  The  colony  is  renewed 
in  1624,  but  fails  again.  Capt.  Christopher  Levett  explores 
the  coast  of  Maine,  and  builds  a  house  near  the  site  of  Port 
land,  but  does  not  make  a  permanent  settlement. 

1623.  Cornelius  Mey  discovers  Cape  Mey,  builds  Fort  Nassau  on 

Timber  Creek  (below  Camden,  N.  J.),  and  claims  the  country 
for  the  Dutch.  Nassau  is  abandoned  before  1631.  The 
country  from  Cape  Cod  to  Delaware  Bay  becomes  known  as 
New  Netherlands.  The  first  permanent  settlements  are  made 
on  Manhattan  Island  and  Long  Island  (Walloon  Bay),  and 
Fort  Orange  (Albany)  is  erected. 

1624.  Danes  settle  in  New  Jersey. 

1624.  The  London  Co.'s  charter  of  Virginia  is  declared  void  under  a 
quo  warranto,  and  James  I.  makes  it  a  royal  province  ;  Sir 
F.  Wyatt  is  continued  as  governor. 

1624.  Roger  Conant,  as  agent  of  the  Plymouth  Co.,  founds  a  settle 
ment  near  Cape  Anne,  Mass.  The  continued  opposition  of 
the  House  of  Commons  paralyzes  the  Co.,  and  squatters 
colonize  the  coast  from  Cape  Cod  to  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  York 
(Maine)  is  settled  about  this  date. 

1624.  Peter  Minuit  is  made  director-general  of  the  New  Netherlands. 

1625.  James  I.  dies  (27  Mar.) ;  Charles  I.  succeeds. 

1625.  The  Cape  Anne  settlers  return  to  England,  except  Roger 
Conant  and  three  others,  who  leave  Cape  Anne  and  found 
Naumkeag  (now  Salem). 

1625.     Jesuit  priests  go  from  France  to  Canada. 

1625.  Agents  of  the  Duteh  West  India  Co.  buy  Manhattan  Island 

from  the  natives  for  goods  worth  60  guilders  (about  $24).  The 
first  European  child  is  born  on  Long  Island. 

1626.  Peter  Minuit,  director-general  of  New  Netherlands,  arrives  at 

New  Amsterdam  (4  May) ;  he  begins  Fort  Amsterdam. 
1626.     Pemaquid  (Bristol),  Maine,  settled. 
1626.     Wyatt,  governor  of  Virginia,  returns  to  Scotland ;    Sir  G. 

Yeardley  succeeds  him. 
1626.     A  Swedish  Colonization  Co.  is  sanctioned  by  Gustavus  Adol- 

phus  ;  incorporated,  May,  1627. 


History  of  the   United  States. 

1627.     War  between  England  and  France  ;  it  lasts  till  1629. 
1627.     The  Dutch  of  New  Netherlands  exchange  courtesies  with  the 
Pilgrims  ;  De  Razier  goes  as  envoy  to  Plymouth  (Oct.). 

1627.  Yeardley,  governor  of  Virginia,  dies  (Nov.) ;  Francis  West  is 

elected  governor. 

1628.  The  first  clergyman  arrives  in  New  Amsterdam.     The  English 

capture  Port  Royal,  N.  S.  Virginia  enacts  that  no  treaty 
shall  be  made  with  the  Indians. 

1628.  The  Plymouth  Co.  grant  to  John  Endicott  and  25  others  the 

territory  from  three  miles  south  of  Massachusetts  Bay  to 
three  miles  north  of  the  furthest  point  of  the  Merrimac,  be 
tween  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific  (19  Mar.).  He  sails  with 
emigrants  to  Naumkeag  (Salem),  where  Conant  welcomes 
them  (Sep.). 

1629.  Endicott's  Co.  is  chartered  as  "  The  Governor  and  Company  of 

the  Massachusetts  Bay  in  New  England  "  (4  Mar.) ;  Matthew 
Cradock  is  elected  governor.  Rev.  Francis  Higginson  arrives 
in  Salem  with  200  emigrants  (June),  and  finds  only  about  10 
hovels  there.  He  founds  Charlestown  (4  July),  and  estab 
lishes  Puritanism,  to  which  some  object,  and  J.  and  S. 
Browne  are  sent  back  to  England.  Eighty  die  before  spring, 
including  Higginson.  The  Co.  in  England  assign  the  charter 
to  the  colonists  (Aug.),  thus  converting  a  mercantile  com 
pany  into  an  independent  provincial  government ;  and  elect 
John  Winthrop  governor  (Oct.);  406  emigrants  are  sent  from 
England. — Gorges  and  Mason  dissolve  partnership  ;  Mason 
gets  a  fresh  title  to  the  region  between  the  Merrimac  and  the 
Piscataqua  (7  Nov.),  which  he  calls  New  Hampshire  ;  Gorges 
gets  the  region  between  the  Piscataqua  and  the  Kennebec 
(western  Maine). 

1629.  The  Peace  of  Lubeck  between  England  and  France  (22  May). 
The  English  capture  Quebec,  and  conquer  all  French  America, 
but  the  conquest  being  after  the  treaty  the  country  is  restored 
to  France  in  1632,  by  the  Treaty  of  St.  Germain. 

1629.  The  College  of  Nineteen,  of  Amsterdam,  Holland,  adopts  a 
"  Charter  of  Privileges  "  to  promote  the  colonization  of  the 
New  Netherlands,  with  a  feudal  organization.  Samuel 
Godyn  buys  the  Indian  title  to  part  of  Delaware  (June). 

1629.  John  Harvey  arrives  in  Virginia  as  governor,  in  place  of  Pott, 

under  a  royal  commission. 

1630.  Biddeford  and  Saco,  in  Maine,  are  founded  by  Richard  Vines 

and  John  Oldham,  under  a  grant  from  the  Plymouth  Co. 
1630.     The  Plymouth  Co.  grants  "  the  Colony  of  Connecticut"  to  the 

Earl  of  Warwick. 
1630.     Winthrop  arrives  in  Massachusetts  with  800  emigrants  (June); 

700  more  arrive   in  July ;    they  find  distress    and  gloom. 

Boston,  Watertown,  Lynn,  Dorchester,  and  Rochester  are 

founded.      The  first  "General  Court"  meets  at  Boston  to 

organize  the  government  (19  Oct.). 

1630.     Sir  Robert  Heath  obtains  a  patent  for  Carolina  (30°  to  36°  N.). 
1630.     Godyn  gets  an  Indian  deed  for  his  land  in  Delaware  (July), 

the  first  deed  of  land  in  Del.     He  and  Samuel  Bloemart  buy 

the  Indian  title  to  the  east  ceast  of  Delaware  Bay  (N.  J.). 

Kiliaen  van  Rensselaer  buys  from  the  Indians  12  miles  of 


History  of  the   United  States.  22 

land  between  Fort  Orange  and  the  Mohawk  River.  Michael 
Pauw  buys  Staten  Island  and  Pavonia  (the  country  round 
Hoboken).  De  Vries,  as  agent  for  Godyn,  sails  from  the 
Texel,  with  emigrants  for  Delaware  (Dec.'). 

1681.  De  Vries  plants  his  Dutch  colony  of  over  300  souls  at  Lewis- 
town  (Del.),  and  ascends  as  far  as  the  Schuylkill. 

1631.  Roger  Williams  arrives  ia  Boston  (5  Feb.),  but  finding  his 
liberal  principles  obnoxious,  he  goes  to  Plymouth  and  re 
mains  two  years.  The  population  of  Plymouth  is  300. 

1631.  The  Earl  of  Warwick  assigns  his  right  to  Connecticut  to  Lord 
Say  and  Seal,  Lord  Brooke,  John  Hampden,  and  others  (19 
Mar.). 

1631.  Charles  I.  grants  (May)  to  a  company  under  William  Clayborne 

(a  member  of  the  Virginia  council)  a  license  to  trade  with  the 
Indians  of  Virginia  ;  Harvey,  governor  of  Virginia,  confirms 
it.  Clayborne  founds  stations  on  Kent  Island  and  near  the 
Susquehannah,  the  first  settlements  in  Maryland. 

1632.  Charles  I.  grants  "Maryland"  to  Sir  George  Calvert,  Lord 

Baltimore,  who  dies  (15  Ap.)  before  the  patent  is  signed,  and 
it  is  issued  (20  June)  to  his  son,  Cecilius.  Virginia  vainly  pro 
tests,  claiming  the  territory  as  part  of  Virginia. 

1632.  Massachusetts  founds  a  representative  government,  makes 
treaties  with  the  Indians,  and  establishes  intercourse  with 
Plymouth  colony,  Virginia,  and  New  Netherlands. 

1632.  De  Vries  goes  to  Holland  ;  on  his  return  to  Delaware  at  the 

close  of  the  year,  he  finds  the  colonists  left  by  him  all  slain 
by  the  Indians. 

1633.  The  Dutch,  having  purchased  the  Indian  title  to  land  on  the 

Connecticut,  erect  a  fort  (Jan.)  called  "the  House  of  Good 
Hope  "  (now  Hartford).  Wouter  Van  Twiller  arrives  in  New 
Amsterdam  as  governor  in  place  of  Minuit. 

1633.  Haynes,  Cotton,  Hooker,  and  Stone  come  out  to  Massachusetts. 
Roger  Williams  returns  to  Salem,  but  the  action  of  the 
magistrates  compels  him  to  withdraw  from  the  church. 

1633.  Traders  from  Plymouth  colony,  under  Capt.  William  Holmes, 
found  a  trading-house  at  Dorchester  (now  Windsor),  Conn. 

1633.     Virginia  has  about  1000  head  of  cattle. 

1633.  Leonard  Calvert,  Lord  Baltimore's  brother,  sails  (22  Nov.)  with 

about  200  emigrants,  mostly  Roman  Catholics,  for  Maryland. 

1634.  He  arrives  in  the  Potomac  and  founds  St.  Marys  (27  Mar.), 

near  its  mouth. 

1634.  Vote  by  ballot  is  introduced  into  Massachusetts;  only  the 
people's  representatives  are  allowed  to  dispose  of  lands  or  to 
levy  taxes.  The  General  Court  passes  a  sumptuary  law  to 
regulate  dress,  prohibiting  short  sleeves,  and  other  "new 
and  immodest  fashions,"  etc.  Anne  Hutchinson  arrives  in 
Boston  from  England.  Colonists  from  Massachusetts  found 
Watertown  (Wethersfield),  Conn.;  the  Pequods  murder 
Stone,  Horton,  and  8  others,  but  send  messengers  to  Boston 
to  offer  peace  (Nov.). 

1634.  Not  a  single  white  settler  remains  within  Delaware  Bay ;  a 
few  Swedes  remain  in  Gloucester  and  Burlington  Counties 
(N.  J.) 

1634.     Charles  I.  grants  to  Archbishop  Laud  and  others  power  over 


24  History  of  the  United  States. 

the  American  plantations,  to  establish  the  government, 
regulate  the  Church,  and  revoke  all  charters  prejudicial  to 
the  royal  prerogative.  The  colonists  prepare  to  resist,  and 
raise  a  Defence  Fund  to  build  fortifications, 

1635.  Massachusetts  promulgates  a  "Bill  of  Rights;"  " God's  peo 
ple  should  be  governed  by  the  laws  given  by  God  to  Moses." 
The  General  Court  sentences  Roger  Williams  to  exile  (Oct.) ; 
the  people  of  Salem  still  adhere  to  him,  and  it  is  resolved  to 
send  him  to  England. 

1685.  The  first  popular  assembly  is  convened  in  Maryland  (Feb.). 
Clayborne  and  his  settlers  refuse  to  submit  to  Baltimore's 
charter,  but  are  defeated  in  a  bloody  skirmish.  He  flees  to 
Virginia,  and  Governor  Harvey  sends  him  to  England.  The 
Virginia  council  remove  Harvey,  and  make  Captain  John 
West  governor  (May).  Harvey  and  his  accusers  go  to  Eng- 
tland  to  appeal  to  the  king,  who  reinstates  Harvey.  The 
Commissioners  of  Plantations  decide  in  favor  of  Baltimore's 
claim  to  Maryland  against  Clayborne. 

1635.  The  younger  Winthrop,  under  a  commission  from  the  pro 
prietaries,  founds  Saybrook,  Conn,  (named  after  Lord  Say 
and  Seal  and  Lord  Brooke),  and  erects  a  fort  there ;  a  sepa 
rate  colony  till  1644.  Sixty  emigrants  from  Massachusetts  go 
overland  to  Connecticut,  and  found  Newtown  (now  Hartford); 
they  suffer  hardship,  and  many  make  their  way  to  the  sea 
board. 

1685.  The  Plymouth  Co.  divide  the  whole  coast  from  Acadia  to  be 

yond  the  Hudson  among  themselves  by  lot  (3  Feb.),  and  ex 
ecute  deeds  to  the  grantees  (22  Ap.);  Mason  gets  the  land 
from  the  Piscataqua  to  the  Salem  River,  and  Gorges  the 
land  from  the  Piscataqua  to  the  Kennebec,  which  he  calls 
New  Somerset.  The  Co.  then  surrender  their  patent  to  the 
king  (7  June).  Mason  contends  that  the  patent  to  Endicott's 
Massachusetts  Bay  Co.  was  surreptitiously  obtained,  and  a 
quo  warranto  is  issued  against  the  Co.  Mason  dies  (Nov.), 
his  estate  becomes  ruined,  his  colonies  in  New  Hampshire 
are  left  to  themselves,  and  the  opposition  to  the  Massachu 
setts  Co.  ceases. 

1635.  The  French  expel  the  English  colonists  from  the  Penobscot 

region,  Maine. 

1636.  Harvey  returns  to  Virginia  as  governor  (Jan.). 

1636.  Roger  Williams  refuses  to  submit  to  the  order  to  return  to 
England,  leaves  Salem  in  the  depth  of  winter  (Jan.),  wanders 
for  14  weeks  in  the  woods,  and  at  last  is  welcomed  by  Mas- 
sasoit  and  Canonicus,  chiefs  of  the  Pokanokets  and  Narra- 
gansetts.  He  goes  to  Renoboth  (Seekonk),  but  finding  it 
within  the  limits  of  Plymouth  colony,  removes  to  Narragan- 
sett  Bay  and  founds  Providence  (June) ;  he  is  joined  by  others 
during  the  next  two  years. 

1686.  Sir  F.  Gorges,  in  anticipation  of  the  issue  of  a  royal  charter, 

sends  his  nephew,  Capt.  William  Gorges,  to  govern  New 
Somerset  (Maine);  William  convenes  the  first  assembly  in 
Maine  at  Saco  (22  Mar.),  then  a  place  of  about  150  people. 
1686.     The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  votes  a  year's  revenue  to 
found  a  college  ;  the  assembly  is  divided  into  two  chambers ; 


History  of  the   United  States.  25 

life  magistrates  are  instituted ;  Sir  Henry  Vane  is  elected 
governor.  Springfield  is  founded  (Sept.). 

1636.  The  first  assembly  in  Connecticut  is  held  (26  Ap.)  at  New- 

town  (now  Hartford).  Long  Island  is  first  permanently  oc 
cupied.  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker,  with  100  emigrants  from 
Newtown,  Mass.,  goes  overland  and  settles  at  Newtown, 
Conn.  (June).  The  Pequods  murder  Oldham,  near  Block 
Island,  R.  I.  (July).  The  outrage  is  punished  by  a  sangui 
nary  but  ineffectual  expedition  under  Endicott  and  Underbill 
(Aug.).  The  Pequods  make  reprisals  and  seek  to  unite  the 
Narragansetts  and  Mohegans  to  exterminate  the  whites,  but 
at  the  request  of  Vane  and  the  Massachusetts  council,  Roger 
Williams  uses  his  influence  to  detach  the  Narragansetts  and 
Mohegans  from  the  alliance. 

1637.  A  court  held  at  Newtown,  Conn.  (1  Mar.),  changes  the  names 

of  Newtown,  Watertown,  and  Dorchester  to  Hartford, 
Wethersfield,  and  Windsor,  and  resolves  to  prosecute  the 
war  against  the  Pequods.  An  expedition  under  John  Mason, 
with  volunteers  from  Saybrook  under  Underbill,  and  with 
assistance  from  Massachusetts  and  the  Narragansetts  and 
Mohegans,  destroys  the  Pequod  tribe.  A  remnant  of  about 
200  surrender,  and  are  enslaved  by  the  whites  or  incorporated 
with  the  Mohegans  and  Narragansetts.  After  the  war,  dele 
gates  from  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts  meet  in  Boston 
(31  Aug.),  for  the  purpose  of  uniting  the  New  England  colo 
nies  into  one  Province  or  confederacy,  but  the  design  falls 
through.  It  is  revived  in  1643. 

1637.  The  Antinomian  controversy  culminates  in  Massachusetts. 
Anne  Hutchinson,  John  Wheelwright  (her  brother),  and 
Vane  oppose  the  doctrine  that  the  so-called  law  of  God 
should  be  the  law  of  the  commonwealth.  The  legislature 
enacts  that  none  shall  come  within  the  jurisdiction  without 
permission  of  the  authorities  ;  Vane  protests  and  returns  to 
England.  Wheelwright,  Anne  Hutchinson,  and  Aspinwall 
are  exiled  as  "unfit  for  the  society"  of  its  citizens.  Wheel 
wright  goes  to  the  Piscataqua  and  founds  Exeter ;  John 
Clarke,  William  Coddington,  and  Anne  Hutchinson  are  wel 
comed  at  Providence  by  Roger  Williams.  Negro  slaves  are 
imported  for  the  first  time  into  New  England. 

i637,  Owing  to  the  machinations  of  George  Cleeve,  William  Gorge'' 
is  recalled  from  the  governorship  of  Maine  by  Sir  F.  Gorges 
(June),  and  the  province  is  left  without  a  government. 

1637.  William  Kieft  is  made  governor  of  New  Netherlands  in  place 
of  Van  Twiller. 

1637.  A  company  of  Swedes  and  Finns,  under  the  Dutchman  Peter 

Minuit,  leave  Sweden  for  Delaware. 

1638.  They  found  (Ap.)  Fort  Christiana  (named  after  the  Swedish 

Queen),  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Delaware  (near  the  site  of 
Wilmington) ;  purchase  the  Indian  title  of  the  land  from 
Trenton  Falls  to  Paradise  Point  (Cape  Henlopen) ;  settle  at 
Wicaco,  on  the  site  of  Philadelphia  ;  and  claim  the  country  as 
"New  Sweden."  Kieft,  governor  of  New  Netherlands,  pro 
tests,  claiming  the  country  for  the  Dutch. 
1.638.  Roger  Williams  obtains  from  the  Indians  (Mar.)  a  deed  of  the 


26  History  of  the   United  States. 

land  round  Providence  which  in  time  he  grants  away  gratis; 

also  a  deed  (Mar.)  of  Rhode  Island  for  Anne  Hutchinson  and 

her  fellow-exiles  who  found  a  prosperous  colouy  at,  Newport. 
1638.  Puritans  from  London  under  Theophilus  Eaton 'and   Rev.  John 

Davenport,    found    Quinniplack    (now     New     Haven),     Conn. 

They  hold  their  first  meeting  (18  April);  elect  Eaton  governor; 

and  buy  the  Indian  title  to  their  lend.     New  Haven  remains 

a  separate  colony  until  1665. 
1638.  An    earthquake  is     felt    throughout    New    England    (1    June); 

shocks  continue  15  days. 

1638.  John  Harvard  founds  Harvard  College. 

1639.  Connecticut  (i.  e.,  Hartford,  Windsor  and  Wetlu-rsfield)  adopts 

a  liberal  constitution  (Jan.  1),  the  first  organization  of  a  gov 
ernment  with  a  written  constitution  in  history. 

1680.  The  New  Haven  colonists  frame  a  constitution  in  a  barn  (4 
June) ;  the  Scriptures  to  be  the  rule  of  the  commonwealth"; 
only  church  members  to  be  free  burgesses  ;  "seven  pillars" 
chosen  to  organize  the  government.  Their  colonies  spread 
along  the  coast  and  Long  Island. 

1639.  Roger  Williams  organizes  at  Providence  the  first  Baptist 
church  in  America. 

L639.  The  Massachusetts  legislature  provides  that  the  life -magis 
trates  are  to  act  only  in  those  years  in  which  they  are  chosen 
at  the  annual  elections.  A  law  is  passed  to  prohibit  the  cus 
tom  of  drinking  healths. 

1639.     Kieft  renews  the  Dutch  fort  at  Nassau  (Gloucester  Co. ,  N.  J.). 

1639.  Sir  F.  Wyatt  supersedes  Harvey  as  governor  of  Virginia  ;  he 
governs  well. 

1639.  Plantations  in  Carolina  are  probably  attempted  by  the  as 
signee  of  Heath's  patent. 

1639.  Sir  F.  Gorges  is  made  proprietary  of  Maine  by  royal  charter, 

with  ample  powers  of  government  (2  Sep.)  ;  he  is  also  ap 
pointed  governor-general  of  New  England. 

1640.  He  sends  out  his  son,  Thomas,  as  governor  of  Maine. 

1640.  English  colonists,  under  Sir  Edmund  Ployden,  settle  at  Elsing- 
burgh,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Delaware,  and  call  the  country 
New  Albion,  but  are  driven  out  by  the  Swedes  and  Dutch. 

1640.  The  people  of  Connecticut  claim  Long  Island  under  a  grant 
from  Lord  Stirling,  and  the  Dutch  emblems  of  possession  at 
the  east  end  are  thrown  down  by  the  colonists,  and  a  fool's1 
head  is  set  up  instead. 

1640.     A  fugitive  from  Virginia  settles  on  Albemarle  Sound  (N.  C.). 

1640.  Montreal  founded.  Their  continual  warfare  with  the  Mohawks 
excludes  the  French  from  the  south  shores  of  Lake  Ontario. 

1640.  The  emigrants  to  New  England  up  to  this  date   numbered 

21,200  ;  in  ten  or  fifteen  years  50  villages  had  been  planted, 
and  30  or  40  churches  built.  For  the  next  20  years,  during 
the  civil  strife  in  England,  the  colonies  enjoy  almost  virtual 
independence. 

1641.  The  English  parliament  places  the  colonies  under  the  control 

of  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  as  governor-in-chief,  and  a  council 
of  5  peers  and  12  commoners. 

)fe  Tew  Hampshire  annexes  itself  to  Massachusetts  (Ap.) ;  the 
inion  continues  till  1679. 


History  of  the   United  States.  27 

1641.  The  governing  power  of  Plymouth  colony  is  transferred  to  the 
entire  body  of  freemen,  and  the  interest  of  the  English  part 
ners  is  extinguished. 

1641.     Rhode  Island  establishes  a  constitution,  a  "  Democracie." 
1641.     Charles  Raymbault  and  Isaac  Jogues  reach  Sault  Ste.  Marie 
from  the  Georgian  Bay  (4  Oct.)  ;  the  first  time  that  the  U.  S. 
were  entered  from  Canada. 

1641.  War  between  the  Dutch  of  New  Netherlands  and  the  Algc, 

quins  ;  it  lasts  till  1645. 

1642.  Anne  Hutchinson's  son  and  son-in-law  censure  the  Boston  au 

thorities  for  their  treatment  of  her,  and  are  imprisoned.  She 
removes  from  Rhode  Island  to  East  Chester,  Conn.,  among 
the  Dutch.  Kieft  treacherously  massacres  nearly  100  Algon- 
quins  ;  they  make  savage  reprisals  from  Connecticut  to  New 
Jersey,  and  the  Dutch  colonies  are  nearly  ruined.  A  popular 
assembly  of  delegates  from  the  Dutch  villages  mitigates 
Kieft's  arbitrary  rule.  The  war  leads  the  Indians  to  attack 
the  English  colonies  in  Maryland  and  Virginia,  and  war 
goes  on  there  for  four  years. 

1642.  Sir  William  Berkeley  arrives  in  Virginia  as  governor,  successor 

to  Wyatt  (Feb.).  Charles  I.  restricts  the  commerce  of  the 
colony  ;  the  assembly  establishes  the  Church  of  England, 
suppresses  nonconformity,  and  banishes  nonconformists ;  a 
company  of  Puritans  take  refuge  in  Maryland,  settling  at 
Providence  (now  Annapolis). 

1643.  Anne  Hutchinson  is  killed  by  the  Indians.     Roger  Williams 

arranges  a  truce  between  them  and  the  Dutch  (Mar.),  and 
peace  is  made  with  the  Indians  on  the  Hudson  (Ap.).  War 
is  renewed  by  the  Dutch  under  John  Underbill,  a  refugee 
from  New  England,  and  continues  till  1645. 

1643.     The  New  England  colonies  send  Hugh  Peters  and  two  others 

'  to  England  to  obtain  commercial  advantages  ;  the  House  of 

Commons  votes  that  colonial  trade  shall  be  free  of  taxation 

(Mar.).     The  colonists  decline  an  invitation  to  send  deputies 

to  the   Westminster  Assembly.     Cotton   manufactures  are 

begun,    cotton  being  imported  from   Barbadoes.      War  in 

.  Massachusetts  between  the  Narragansetts  and  Mohegans. 

1643.  Massachusetts,  Plymouth,  Connecticut,  and  New  Haven  form 
a  federation,  "  The  United  Colonies  of  New  England;"  fed 
eral  matters  are  entrusted  to  eight  commissioners,  two  from 
each  colony.  It  lasts  till  1684.  A  provision  for  the  admission 
of  new  members  to  the  federation  is  without  result. 

1643.  John  Printz,  governor  of  New  Sweden,  forms  a  colony  and 
erects  a  fort  on  Tinicum  Island  (Penn.),  in  the  Delaware,  just 
below  the  Schuylkill,  and  resides  there. 

1643.  The  Virginia  assembly  enacts  that  no  peace  shall  be  made 
with  the  Indians. 

1643.  Roger  Williams  goes  to  England  to  obtain  its  protection  over 
Rhode  Island.  He  obtains  the  help  of  Sir  Henry  Vane. 

1643.  The  proprietaries  of  Connecticut  assign  their  rights  to  the 

colonists. 

1644.  A  design  is  formed  to  unite  all  the  English  colonies  in  one 

confederacy,  but  it  never  reaches  a  practical  stage. 
1644.     Parliament  grants  to  Roger  Williams  and  others  a  charter  for 


28  History  of  the    (rnitect  States. 

Rhode  Island  (Mar.),  witn  full  power  "to  rule  themselves. 
Providence  greets  Williams  on  his  return  with  a  magnificent 
demonstration.     A  Baptist  church  is  formed  at  Newport. 
1644.     The    Indians    massacre    300  colonists  in  Virginia  (18  Ap.; ; 
war  goes  on  and  Opechancanough  is  captured.      Berkeley 
goes  to  England,  leaving  Richard  Kemp  as  governor  (June). 
Maryland  makes  peace  with  the  Indians. 

1644.  Massachusetts  gives  her  county  courts  authority  to  have  the 

Indians  instructed  in  religion.  Thomas  May  hew  labors  as  a 
missionary  among  the  Indians  on  Martha's  Vineyard. 

1645.  The  French  and  Five  Nations  make  peace  at  Three  Rivers. 
1645.     The  Dutch  and  Indians  make  peace  at  New   Amsterdam ; 

Kieft's  barbarous  policy  is  repudiated. 

1645.  A  ship  leaves  Satem,  Ma^s.,  for  Guinea,  Africa,  to  bring  a 
cargo  of  slaves  ,  the  first  direct  slave-trade  between  New 
England  and  Africa. 

1645.  Clayborne  and  Ingle,  with  the  Puritan  refugees  from  Virginia, 

excite  a  successful  revolt  in  Maryland  ;  Leonard  Calvert,  the 
deputy-governor,  flees  to  Virginia,  and  disorder  and  misrule 
follow. 

1646.  Order  is  restored  in  Maryland  ;  Lord  Baltimore  is  reinstated  ; 

and  an  amnesty  is  granted. 

1646.  Father  Jogues,  from  Canada,  is  hospitably  received  by  the 
Mohawks  (May),  but  is  murdered  (Oct.),  and  war  is  renewed 
between  the  French  and  the  Five  Nations. 

1646.  Father  Gabriel  Dreuillettes,  first  of  Europeans,  journeys  over 
land  from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Kennebec,  Maine  (Aug.), 
and  builds  a  chapel  near  its  mouth,  where  many  Abenakis 
gather.  Franciscans  had  already  planted  a  lodge  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Penobscot. 

1646.     Peace  is  made  between  Virginia  and  the  Indians  (Oct.). 

1646.  The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  repudiates  the  paramount 
authority  of  the  English  Parliament  (Nov.).  It  passes  an  Act 
for  the  propagation  of  the  gospel  among  the  Indians,  and 
John  Eliot,  of  Roxbury,  Mass.,  "the  apostle  of  the  Indians," 
"the  morning-star  of  missionary  enterprise,"  begins  his 
labors  among  the  Indians  at  Nonantum  (now  Newton),  Mass. 

1646.  The  Quakers  founded  in  England  by  George  Fox,  aged  22. 

1647.  Peter  Stuyvesant  arrives  in  New  Netherlands  (May)  as  gov 

ernor  in  place  of  Kieft,  who,  on  his  return  to  Holland,  is 
wrecked  off  the  coast  of  Wales  and  perishes.  The  population 
of  New  Amsterdam  is  about  1000. 

1647.     Dreuillettes  returns  from  Maine  to  Quebec  (June). 

1647.     A  person  is  executed  at  Windsor,  Conn.,  for  witchcraft. 

1647.  Sir  F.  Gorges,  proprietary  of  Maine,  dies. 

1648.  Margaret  Jones  is  executed  (15  June)  at  Boston,  and  Mary 

Johnson  in  Connecticut,  for  witchcraft. 
1648.     Uplandt  (now  Chester,  Penn.)  is  settled  by  Swedes. 

1648.  The  Virginia  colonists  number  20,000,  about  400  being  negroes, 

and  have  31  vessels  engaged  in  commerce. 

1649.  Charles  I.  is  beheaded  (30  Jan.) ;  the  monarchy  is  abolished  (17 

Mar.);   and   England   is  declared  a   "Commonwealth    and 
Free  State"  (19  May). 
1649    The  people  of  Maine,  being  left  without  a  government  by  the 


History  ojr  the   United  /States.  29 

death  of  Gorges,  form  themselves  into  a  body  politic  for  the 
purposes  of  self -government  (July). 

1649.  Massachusetts  declines  the  offer  of  a  new  charter  by  the 
Long  Parliament.  Bigotry  and  persecution  reign  in  the 
colony  ;  the  Anabaptists  are  fined  and  scourged  ;  irreligion 
is  made  a  civil  offence  ;  absence  from  church  is  punished  by 
fine  ;  and  the  denial  of  any  book  of  the  Bible  is  punished  by 
fine,  stripes,  exile,  and  death. 

1649.  The  Maryland  assembly  passes  an  Act  giving1  complete  tolera 
tion  to  all  Christians. 

1649.  Virginia  proclaims  Charles  IE.    king;    royalists   take  refuge 

there;  a  grant  of  "Northern  Neck,"  between  the  Rappa- 
hannock  and  the  Potomac,  is  made  to  them ;  Puritans  are 
banished. 

1650.  The  Connecticut  assembly  prohibits  the  use  of  tobacco  to  per 

sons  under  20,  and  to  others  not  used  to  it,  without  a  physi- 
sician's  certificate  and  a  license.  Stuyvesant  goes  to  Hart 
ford  (Sep.),  and  makes  a  treaty  fixing  the  boundary  between 
New  England  and  New  Netherlands  at  Greenwich  on  the 
mainland,  and  Oyster  Bay  on  Long  Island.  The  treaty  is 
not  recognized  in  England. 

i850.  Scotch  prisoners  taken  at  the  battle  of  Dunbar  (3  Sep.)  are  sent 
to  Virginia  to  be  sold  as  indentured  servants.  An  ordinance 
of  the  Long  Parliament  empowers  the  Council  of  State  to 
reduce  "the  rebellious  colonies"  to  obedience  (Oct.). 

1651.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carrington  and  Goody  Bassett  are  executed  at 

Stratford,  Conn. ,  for  witchcraft. 

1651.  The  settlement  of  "praying  Indians"  at  Nonantum  removes 
to  Natick,  Mass.  The  Massachusetts  legislature  prohibits 
persons,  whose  estate  does  not  exceed  £200,  from  wearing 
lace  costing  over  2s.  a  yard. 

1651.  The  Dutch  build  Fort  Casimir  (now  Newcastle,  Del.),  5  miles 
below  the  Swedish  fort  at  Christiana,  and  thus  create  jeal 
ousy  among  the  Swedish  colonists. 

1651.  War  between  England  and  Holland  ;  it  lasts  till  1654.     Crom 

well  plans  the  conquest  of  New  Netherlands.  As  a  war 
measure,  the  Long  Parliament  passes  the  Navigation  Act; 
colonial  commerce  with  England  to  be  carried  on  solely  hi 
English  ships  ;  it  is  not  enforced.  Many  hundreds  of  Scotch 
prisoners  taken  at  the  battle  of  Worcester  (3  Sep.)  are  sent 
to  Virginia  to  be  indentured  as  white  servants. 

1652.  Roger  Williams  and  John  Clarke  get  the  charter  of  Rhode 

Island  confirmed  by  the  Long  Parliament.  Williams  returns 
to  Rhode  Island,  leaving  Clarke  in  England  as  agent  of  the 
colony. 

1652.  The  frigate  Guinea  anchors  in  the  Chesapeake  to  compel  Vir 
ginia  to  submit  to  the  Commonwealth  ;  the  colonists  make 
terms,  and  elect  Richard  Bennett,  a  commissioner  of  the 
Long  Parliament,  governor  (Ap.). 

1652.  Massachusetts,  claiming  under  its  charter,  annexes  Maine  as 
far  as  Casco  Bay,  in  spite  of  the  remonstrances  of  Edward 
Godfrey,  the  governor  ;  the  province  reluctantly  submits. 

1652.     New  Amsterdam  is  incorporated,  out  its  citizens  gain  no  privi 


30  IFistory  of  the    United  States. 

1653.     A  general  assembly   of  deputies  from   the   villages  of  New 

Netherlands  meets  and  claims  popular  rights  (Nov.), 
1653     Cromwell  forcibly  dissolves  the  Long  Parliament  (20  Ap.)  ;  he 

is  made  Protector  (16  Dec.). 
1653.     The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  prohibits  preaching  except 

by  leave  of  the  authorities. 
T653.     The   Baptist    Church    in  Providence,    R.    I.,    splits  into  two 

Churches. 
16.)3.     Goody  Knapp  is  executed  at  Fairfield,  Conn.,  for  witchcraft. 

1653.  Clay  borne  and  Bennett  (governor  of  Virginia),  professing  to 

act  under  the  ordinance  of  the  Long  Parliament  to  reduce 
"  all  plantations  within  the  Bay  of  the  Chesapeake,"  set  aside 
Lord  Baltimore's  authority  in  Maryland  ;  conflicts  ensue  be 
tween  the  Puritans  under  Bennett  and  Clayborne,  and  Stone 
(Baltimore's  deputy)  and  his  friends,  the  latter  being  defeated. 

1654.  Imprisonment  for  debt  is  instituted  in  Massachusetts. 

1654.  Peace  is  made  between  the  French  in  Canada  and  the  Five 
Nations.  Father  Le  Moyne  goes  among  them  as  envoy  and 
missionary.  Two  young  Canadian  fur-traders  make  a  canoe 
journey  west  from  Quebec  (Aug.),  via  the  Ottawa,  and  reach 
Lakes  Michigan  and  Superior  ;  they  return  in  two  years, 
escorted  by  a  fleet  of  50  canoes. 

1654.  An  armed  force  sent  by  Cromwell  takes  possession  of  Nova 
Scotia. 

1654.  Rising,  governor  of  New  Sweden,  overpowers  the  Dutch  gar 

rison  at  Fort  Casimir  ;  the  act  is  fatal  to  the  Swedish  colony. 

1655.  A  Dutch  force  from  New  Amsterdam  sails  into  the  Delaware 

(Sep.),  and  the  Swedish  settlements  (numbering  700  souls) 
submit ;  the  country  north  of  Christiana  and  the  Brandy- 
wine  is  governed  by  a  deputy  of  Stuy vesant ;  the  country 
from  the  Brandy  wine  to  Bombay  Hook  (part  of  Delaware)  is 
purchased  by  the  city  of  Amsterdam  in  Holland,  the  name 
New  Sweden  being  changed  to  New  Amstel. 

1655.  Baltimore's  friends  in  Maryland  are  again  defeated  by  the 
Puritans  (Jan.). 

1655.  Admiral  Penn  (father  of  William  Penn)  captures  Jamaica  from 
the  Spaniards  (3  May).  Cromwell  founds  the  English  Board 
of  Trade. 

1655.  Bennett  retires  from  the  governorship  of  Virginia ;  Edward 
Diggs  is  elected  his  successor. 

1655.  Chaumonot  and  Claude  Dablon,   missionaries  from   Canada, 

are  welcomed  among  the  Five  Nations  (Nov.). 

1656.  A  colony  of  50  French  Canadians  settle  among  the  Onondagas 

(May). 

1656.  From  this  date  till  the  accession  of  James  II.  (1685)  the  Quakers 
are  severely  persecuted  in  England,  and  many  of  them  take 
refuge  in  America. 

1656.  Quakers  are  persecuted  in  Massachusetts  and  expelled  from 

the  colony. 

1657.  The  persecution  of  Quakers  in  Massachusetts  continues  ;  they 

are  fined,  whipped,  and  banished  ;  a  law  enacts  that  on  a 
first  conviction  one  ear  shall  be  cut  off,  on  a  second  the  other 
ear,  on  a  third  the  tongue  shall  be  bored  with  a  red-hot  iron  ; 
and  that  any  one  who  entertains  one  of  "  the  accursed  sect" 


(     History  of  the    United  States.  31 

shall  be  fined.  A  woman  from  London,  who  rebukes  the 
magistrates  for  persecution,  is  whipped  with  20  stripes. 
1657.  Divided  rule  exists  in  Maryland  :  Fendall  (Baltimore's  repre 
sentative)  is  acknowledged  by  the  Catholics  at  St.  Marys  ; 
Cromwell's  commissioners  are  sustained  by  the  Puritans  at 
St.  Leonards. 

1657.  The  Oneidas  murder  three  Frenchmen ;  the  French  retaliate 

by  seizing  Indians. 

1658.  The  French  abandon  their  settlements  among  the  Five  Nations 

(Mar.),  and  war  once  more  breaks  out  between  them. 

1658.  A  compromise  is  effected  between  the  conflicting  parties  in 
Maryland  (Mar.),  and  the  province  is  surrendered  to  Fendall, 
Baltimore's  agent. 

1658.  Samuel  Matthews  is  elected  governor  of  Virginia  in  place  of 
Diggs.  The  assembly  excludes  the  governor  and  council 
from  its  sessions ;  the  governor  dissolves  it ;  the  assembly 
declares  the  dissolution  illegal,  proclaims  popular  sovereignty, 
and  removes  and  re-elects  the  governor,  who  submits,  and 
the  revolution  is  completed. 

1658.  The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  claims  the  right  to  silence 
any  person  not  ordained ;  a  fine  of  10s.  is  imposed  on  every 
person  present  at  a  Quaker  meeting,  and  £5  for  speaking  at 
one  ;  Quakers  are  banished  on  pain  of  death. 

1658.  Cromwell  dies  (3  Sep.) ;  his  son  Richard  is  proclaimed  Pro 

tector  (4  Sep. ).  Virginia  recognizes  him  ;  Massachusetts  does 
not. 

1658-59.  The  corporation  of  Amsterdam  by  purchases  from  the  In 
dians  extends  its  jurisdiction  to  Cape  Henlopen,  DeL;  it 
governs  despotically,  and  the  colonists  flee  in  troops  to  the 
English  colonies  ;  scarce  30  families  remain. 

1659.  Richard  Cromwell  resigns  the  Protectorate  (22  Ap.). 

1659.  Two  Quakers  are  hanged  in  Massachusetts  for  returning  to  the 
colony  after  being  banished  ;  Mary  Dyar  is  also  sentenced, 
but  reprieved  when  the  rope  is  round  her  neck. 

1659.  Two  fur- traders  from  Canada  winter  on  the  shore  of  Lake 

Superior. 

1660.  A  party  of  Puritans  from  Massachusetts  attempt  a  settlement 

on  Oldtown  Creek,  near  the  mouth  of  Cape  Fear  River  (N.  C.). 
It  is  soon  abandoned.  ^Perhaps  a  few  scattered  families  may 
have  settled  in  what  is  now  North  Carolina  before  this  date. 

1660.  Matthews,  governor  of  Virginia,  dies  (Mar.) ;  the  assembly  de 
clares  that  the  supreme  power  resides  in  itself  (13  Mar.),  and 
elects  Sir  W.  Berkeley  governor  ;  he  accepts  office,  renouncing 
all  power  to  dissolveHhe  assembly. 

1660.  A  popular  convention  meets  in  Maryland  (12  Mar.),  votes  itself 
a  lawful  assembly,  abolishes  the  Upper  House,  and  settles 
the  government;  Fendall,  Baltimore's  deputy,  allows  the 
revolution. 

1660.  An  Indian  church  is  organized  at  Natick,  Mass.  Mary  Dyar  is 
hanged  at  Boston  as  a  Quaker  (1  June) ;  also  William  Leddra. 
Massasoit,  sachem  of  the  Pokanokets,  dies  ;  his  son  "King 
Philip"  succeeds. 

1660.  Charles  II.  is  proclaimed  king  in  England  (8  May) ;  he  lands  at 
Dover  (25  May).  Three  of  Charles I.'s  judges,Edward  Whalley, 


B2  History  of  the   United  States. 

William  Goffe,  and  John  Dixwell,  escape  to  America.  Hugh 
Peters,  father-in-law  of  the  younger  Winthrop,  is  hanged  as 
a  regicide  (14  Oct.).  The  Navigation  Act  (12  Car.  II.,  c.  18)  is 
passed  ;  merchandise  is  to  be  imported  into  the  colonies  only 
in  English  vessels  ;  only  natives  or  naturalized  subjects  are 
to  become  merchants  or  factors  in  any  English  settlement 
Other  laws  are  passed  in  restraint  of  colonial  trade  ano 
manufactures,  and  corn-laws  are  re-enacted.  Charles  II 
erects  the  Council  of  Trade  and  the  Council  of  Plantations 
they  are  soon  combined. 

1660.  Charles  II.  is  proclaimed  in  Plymouth,  Rhode  Island,  New 
Haven,  Hartford,  Maryland,  *and  Virginia.  The  General 
Court  of  Massachusetts  negatives  an  address  to  him  (Oct.) ; 
but  afterwards  agrees  to  one  (Dec.)  ;  Leverett,  its  agent  in 
England,  is  instructed  to  intercede  for  its  chartered  liberties, 
and  to  resist  appeals  to  England  in  law  matters.  In  Mary 
land,  Philip  Calvert,  Baltimore's  deputy,  is  recognized.  In 
Virginia  Berkeley  issues  writs  for  an  assembly  in  the  name 
of  the  king  ;  the  royalist  party  becomes  ascendant  and  modi 
fies  the  democratic  features  of  the  constitution.  Virginia 
had  acquired  perfect  liberty  of  commerce,  but  the  English 
government,  under  the  new  Navigation  Act,  begins  to  pre 
vent  commerce  with  New  Netherlands.  Virginia's  popula 
tion  is  about  30,000  ;  Maryland's  from  8000  to  12,000. 

1660.  Rene  Mesnard,  Jesuit  missionary,  goes  from  Canada  to  Lake 

Superior  to  found  a  mission  (Aug.). 

1661.  He  is  lost  in  the  woods  on  Keewena  Peninsula,  Lake  Superior, 

and  never  seen  again  (June). 

1661.  Berkeley  goes  to  England  as  agent  of  Virginia,  to  seek  relief 
from  the  Navigation  Act  (Ap. )  ;  he,  Clarendon,  and  six  others 
combine  to  obtain  a  grant  to  themselves  of  American  terri 
tory. 

1661.  The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  publishes  a  declaration  of 
rights  (June),  claiming  self-government,  denying  the  right  of 
appeals  to  England,  and  declaring  the  Navigation  Act  an 
infringement  of  their  charter  ;  it  then  proclaims  Charles  H. 
king.  A  royal  order  from  England  to  Governor  Endicott 
directs  him  to  proceed  no  further  against  the  Quaker  prison 
ers,  but  to  send  them  to  England  for  trial ;  in  response  he 
releases  Wenlock  Christison  and  27  others  from  prison.  Up 
to  this  date  30  Quakers  had  been  scourged,  fined,  or  impris 
oned  ;  some  had  been  branded  in  the  hand  with  the  letter  H 
for  heretic  ;  and  several  had  been  hung.  The  persecution 
soon  recommences  ;  men  and  women  are  whipped  at  the 
cart's  tail  from  town  to  town  and  banished.  The  persecution 
did  not  cease  for  some  years,  till  Charles  II.  demanded  that 
BO  one  should  be  hindered  from  exercising  his  religion  in  the 
New  World  more  than  in  the  Old,  and  that  all  persons  ought 
to  be  permitted  to  "  worship  God  in  the  way  they  think 
best."  John  Eliot  publishes  his  translation  of  the  New  Tes 
tament  into  the  Massachusetts  Indian  dialect.  Whalley  and 
Goffe  flee  from  Boston  to  Newhaven,  Conn. ,  to  escape  arrest. 

1001.  Charles  Calvert,  a  son  of  Lord  Baltimore,  is  made  dep. -gover 
nor  of  Maryland,  and  a  general  amnesty  is  proclaimed. 


History  of  the   United  States.  33 

1661.  The  younger  Winthrop  goes  to  England  as  agent  of  Connecti 

cut  to  obtain  a  charter. 

1662.  Charles  II.  grants  a  charter  for  Connecticut  (20  Ap.),  covering 

both  Hartford  and  New  Haven,  from  the  Narragansett  to  the 
Pacific,  disregarding  the  hesitancy  of  New  Haven,  the  rights 
of  New  Netherlands,  and  the  claims  of  Spain  on  the  Pacific  ; 
it  gives  complete  independence  and  self-government.  Win 
throp  is  elected  governor  in  14  successive'  years.  New  Haven 
is  unwilling  to  merge  itself  in  the  larger  colony  of  Hartford. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greensmith  are  executed  at  Hartford,  for 
witchcraft. 

1662.  John  Norton  and  Simon  Bradstreet  go  to  England  as  commis 
sioners  from  Massachusetts  (Feb.) ;  Charles  H.  confirms  the 
charter,  declaring  that  its  foundation  is  liberty  of  conscience, 
but  claims  certain  prerogatives ;  the  people  resolve  not  to 
allow  these. 

1662.  Charles  H.  grants  a  charter  to  the  African  Co.  Sir  Henry 
Vane  is  executed  in  England  as  a  regicide  (June).  The  Act 
of  Uniformity  is  renewed  (May) ;  nearly  2000  ministers  are 
driven  from  their  parishes  as  nonconformists  (24  Aug.). 
Charles  H.  issues  a  Declaration  of  Indulgence  (Dec.),  exempt 
ing  from  the  penalties  of  the  Act  of  Uniformity  all  noncon 
formists  who,  "living  peaceably,"  do  not  conform  through 
"scruple  and  tenderness  of  misguided  conscience,  but  mod 
estly  and  without  scandal  perform  their  devotions  in  their 
own  way." 

1662.  The  Virginia  assembly  grants  a  permanent  revenue  to  the 

Government,  and  votes  its  members  a  salary  of  250  Ibs.  of 
tobacco  a  day  each  ;  establishes  the  Church  of  England  ;  and 
passes  persecuting  laws  against  Quakers,  Baptists,  and  other 
dissenters ;  to  entertain  a  Quaker  is  punished  by  imprison 
ment. 

1606.  The  Yeopim  Indians  grant  "  Durant's  Neck,"  on  Albemarle 
Sound  (N.  C.),  to  George  Durant. 

1663.  The  Company  of  100  Associates  having  surrendered    New 

France  to  Louis  XIV.,  he  grants  the  territory  to  the  new 
French  West  Indies  Co.  (Feb.). 

1663  Heath's  patent  for  Carolina  is  declared  void  for  non-user; 
Charles  II.  grants  to  eight  proprietaries  a  patent  for  Caro 
lina  (Mar.)  from  36°  N.  to  the  river  St.  Johns,  Fla.  Spain 
claims  that  the  territory  is  a  part  of  Florida,  George  Cath- 
maid  settles  67  persons  on  the  Chowan  River,  Albemarle 
Sound  ;  the  plantation,  being  north  of  36°,  is  not  included  in 
the  patent  for  Carolina,  but  the  proprietaries  commission  one 
of  their  number,  Berkeley,  governor  of  Virginia,  to  institute 
a  government  over  it,  and  he  severs  it  from  Virginia,  and, 
under  the  name  of  Albemarle  colony,  gives  it  a  separate  gov 
ernment  under  William  Drummond.  It  remains  unnoticed 
till  the  quit-rents  become  due  in  1666.  Planters  in  Barba- 
does  buy  a  tract  of  land  on  Cape  Fear  River. 

1663.  John  Eliot  publishes  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  his  translation  of 
the  Old  Testament  into  the  Massachusetts  Indian  dialect. 

1663.     Mary  Barnes  is  executed  at  Farmington,  Conn.,  for  witchcraft. 

1663.     Six  months'  war  goes  on  between  the  Dutch  of  New  Nether- 


34  History  of  the    United  States,. 

lands  and  the  Indians,  who  destroy  (June)  a  village  on  the 
Esopus  (in  Ulster  Co.,  N.  Y.).  Disputes  as  to  territory  arise 
between  Connecticut  and  New  Netherlands,  Connecticut 
claiming-  to  the  Pacific  under  its  charter.  The  necessities  of 
the  time  compel  Stuy vesant  to  concede  a  popular  assembly. 
The  Dutch  West  India  Co.,  desiring  a  barrier  against  the 
English  colonies  to  the  south,  transfers  the  whole  country 
on  the  Delaware  to  the  city  of  Amsterdam,  Holland,  which 
becomes  proprietary  of  all  the  settlements  in  what  are  now 
Pennsylvania,  Southern  New  Jersey,  and  Delaware. 

1663.  The  Parliament  in  England  sets  aside  Charles  II. 's  Declaration 
of  Indulgence,  and  passes  the  Conventicle  Act  to  prevent 
religious  meetings  of  nonconformists. 

1663.  Charles  II.  grants  a  charter  to  Rhode  Island  (July),  giving 
self-government  and  rei?gious  freedom,  and  vesting  the 
supreme  power  in  a  governor,  deputy-governor,  10  assistants 
(now  the  Senate),  and  deputies  from  the  towns.  George 
Baxter  arrives  at  Newport  with  the  charter  (24  Nov.),  which 
is  read  publicly. 

1663.  In  Virginia  an  insurrection  of  white  "  servants  "  is  easily  sup 

pressed  ;  barbarous  laws  are  enacted  against  slaves  ;  and  the 
laws  against  nonconformists  are  made  more  severe.  John 
Burgess  is  expelled  from  the  Assembly  for  being  "  well- 
affected  to  the  Quakers," 

1664.  By  this  date  many  English  from  Connecticut  had  settled  in 

New  Netherlands,  and  as  many  negroes  had  been  imported, 
in  proportion  to  population,  as  in  Virginia.  The  new  Dutch 
diet  demands  from  the  governor,  Stuyvesant,  protection 
against  the  Indians,  and  the  colony  partially  revolts  against 
the  rule  of  the  Dutch  West  India  Co. ;  Berkeley,  governor  of 
Virginia,  threatens  hostilities. 

1664.  Charles  II.  grants  (Mar.)  to  his  brother,  the  Duke  of  York, 
afterwards  James  II.,  the  country  from  the  St.  Croix  to  the 
Pemaquid  (Sagadahoc  or  Eastern  Maine),  and  from  the  Con 
necticut  to  the  Delaware.  The  Duke  assigns  his  claim  to 
New  Jersey  to  Lord  Berkeley  and  Sir  George  Carteret  (June). 
Before  this  date  3  Dutch  families  had  settled  about  Burling 
ton,  N.  J.,  and  a  few  Quaker  families  on  the  south  of  Rari- 
tan  Bay,  N.  J.  ;  but  there  was  no  hamlet  in  south-west  New 
Jersey. 

1664.  The  Rhode  Island  assembly  affirms  the  principle  of  intellectual 
liberty  to  men  of  every  creed  (May). 

1664.  The  English  fleet  for  the  conquest  of  New  Netherlands,  under 
Col.  Richard  Nicolls,  and  having  on  board  royal  commis 
sioners  charged  to  investigate  the  manner  in  which  the  New 
England  charters  had  been  exercised  and  to  provide  for  the 
peace  of  the  country,  arrives  at  Boston  (23  July) ;  takes  re 
cruits  on  board  ;  anchors  in  Gravesend  Bay,  and  acquires 
Long  Island  (Aug.);  Stuyvesant  surrenders  New  Amster 
dam  (5  Sep.),  which  is  called  New  York  ;  Fort  Orange  (or  Will- 
iamstadt)  surrenders  (24  Sep.)  and  is  called  Albany  ;  the 
Dutch  and  Swedes  on  the  Delaware  capitulate  (Oct.),  the 
whole  coast,  from  Maine  to  Carolina,  passing  into  tb*  pos 
session  of  England.  New  Netherlands  is  divided  intr 


History  of  the   United  Mate*.  35 

York  and  New  Jersey,  the  settlements  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Delaware  being  made  a  dependency  of  New  York,  Lord 
Baltimore's  claim  to  them  being  denied.  Nicolls  is  made 
governor,  and  New  York  is  governed  despotically  as  in 
Dutch  times,  popular  rights  not  being  conceded. 

1664.  New  England   Puritans  from  Long  Island  obtain  an  Indian 

deed  to  a  large  tract  on  Newark  Bay  (''the  Elizabeth  town 
Purchase  "),  which  Governor  Nicolls,  unaware  of  the  grant 
to  the  Duke  of  York,  ratifies. 

1664  The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  resolve  to  resist  the 
king's  orders  and  to  nullify  the  royal  commission  ;  and  while 
the  fleet  is  reducing  New  Netherlands,  protest  against  "  the 
menace  of  tyranny  "  (Oct.),  address  Charles,  claiming  the  right 
of  "government  within  themselves,"  and  threaten  "to  seek 
new  dwellings  "  rather  than  submit.  The  contest  facilitates 
the  union  of  the  two  colonies  of  Hartford  and  New  Haven. 
The  Commissioners  establish  the  boundary  of  Connecticut 
in  conformity  with  the  claims  of  the  colony,  but  award  Long 
Island  to  the  Duke  of  York ;  they  are  favorably  received  in 
Rhode  Island  ;  but  Plymouth  stands  firm  for  its  independence 
and  declines  their  offer  of  a  charter. 

1665.  New  Haven  accedes  to  the  union  with  Connecticut  under  the 

Charter  of  1662  (Jan.) ;  the  seat  of  government  to  be  at  Hart 
ford. 

1665.  The  royal  commissioners  hold  a  court  in  Boston  to  try  the 
claims  of  Massachusetts,  but  the  General  Court  forbids  the 
proceedings,  and  the  baffled  commissioners  go  north  to  settle 
the  boundaries  of  New  Hampshire  and  Maine,  and  to  prepare 
for  the  restoration  of  proprietary  claims.  The  governor  and 
council  of  Massachusetts  forbid  the  towns  on  the  Piscataqua 
to  meet  or  obey  the  commissioners.  Maine  prefers  the  pro 
tection  of  the  king  to  incorporation  with  Massachusetts  or 
subjection  to  the  heir  of  Gorges,  and  the  commissioners 
remove  the  officers  appointed  by  Massachusetts,  ignore  the 
claims  of  Gorges,  and  issue  commissions  to  persons  to  govern 
the  district.  After  the  departure  of  the  commissioners, 
Massachusetts  re-establishes  its  authority  over  Western 
Maine,  maintaining  its  jurisdiction  from  the  southern  limit 
of  Massachusetts  to  the  Kennebec. 

1665,  The  French  found  Castine  on  Penobscot  Bay,  Maine  ;  they  also 
have  a  fort  on  the  site  of  Bangor.  A  party  of  French  from 
Canada,  under  Gov.  Courcelle,  reach  Schenectady  (N.  Y.). 

1665.  William  Goulding  and  others,  with  the  sanction  of  Governor 
Nicolls,  obtain  from  the  Indians  a  deed  of  the  land  from 
Sandy  Hook  to  Raritan  River,  N.  J.  (Ap.),  called  for  a  few 
months  East  Albania ;  three  towns  are  soon  begun.  The 
two  proprietaries  of  New  Jersey  create  a  popular  assembly  ; 
grant  lands  at  a  quit-rent  of  J^d.  an  acre,  not  to  be  collected 
till  1670  ;  and  offer  a  bounty  of  75  acres  on  the  importation 
of  each  able  slave.  Philip  Carteret  is  received  as  governor 
(Aug.),  and  Elizabethtown  (named  after  Lady  Carteret), 
then  a  place  of  four  houses,  is  made  the  capital.  Nicolls 
protests  in  vain  against  the  division  of  his  province,  by  the 
separation  of  New  Jersey  from  New  York.  Colonists  from 


$5  History  of  the   United  States. 

New  Haven,  Conn.,  settle  on  the  Passaic,  and  obtain  the 
Indian  title  to  the  site  of  Newark,  N.  J. 

1665.  Charles  n.  declares  war  against  the  Dutch  ;  it  lasts  till  1667. 
The  Five  Mile  Act  is  passed,  increasing  the  severity  of  the 
persecution  of  Quakers  and  other  nonconformists  in  Eng 
land  ;  over  4000  Quakers  are  in  English  prisons,  500  in  Lon 
don  alone  ;  they  look  beyond  the  Atlantic  for  a  refuge. 

1665.  The  Rhode  Island  assembly  again  affirms  the  principle  of 
intellectual  liberty. 

1665.  The  proprietaries  of  Carolina  obtain  a  new  charter  (June)  of 
the  territory  between  29°  and  36°  30'  N.,  from  the  Atlantic 
to  the  Pacific ;  it  included  nearly  all  Florida  and  fixed  the 
northern  boundary  of  North  Carolina.  Sir  John  Yeamans, 
under  a  grant  from  the  proprietaries,  settles  a  colony  of  emi 
grants  from  Barbadoes  on  the  south  of  Cape  Fear  River ; 
the  settlement  is  called  Clarendon  colony ;  it  fails. 

1665.  Father  Claude  Allouez  goes  from  Canada  (Aug.)  to  Chegoi- 

megon,  Lake  Superior  (1  Oct.),  as  a  missionary  among  the 
Indians  between  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Mississippi. 

1666.  Louis  XIV.  declares  war  against  England.     Charles  II.  re 

bukes  the  "  frowardness"  of  Massachusetts  in  the  matter  of 
the  royal  commissioners,  and  commands  Governor  Belling- 
ham  and  Hawthorne  to  attend  in  England ;  the  General 
Court  refuses  compliance  (Sep.).  The  idea  of  conquering 
Canada  is  now  first  proposed  to  New  England,  but  rejected 
as  impracticable  ;  Boston  equips  some  privateers. 

1666.  William  Penn  is  imprisoned  in  Ireland  as  a  Quaker. 

1667.  Treaty  of  Madrid,  peace  with  Spain  (May) ;  Treaty  of  Breda, 

peace  between  England,  France,  Holland,  and  Denmark  (31 
July)  ;  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  the  colonies  west  of  the 
Delaware  are  ceded  to  England  ;  Acadia  is  restored  to  France, 
but  the  royal  grant  of  Nova  Scotia  to  Sir  Thomas  Temple  is 
not  revoked.  The  French  and  the  Five  Nations  make  peace. 

1667.  Francis  Lovelace  is  made  governor  of  New  York,  in  place  of 
Nicolls. 

1667.  Virginia  enacts  that  baptism  is  consistent  with  a  state  of 
slavery,  so  removing  an  obstacle  to  the  conversion  of  ne 
groes  ;  the  enactment  is  made  repeatedly  between  1667  and 
1748  ;  the  opposite  notion  prevailed  widely. 

1667.  A  colony  of  ship-builders  from  the  Bermudas,  and  emigrants 

from  New  England,  join  the  colony  on  AJ.bemarle  Sound 
(N.  C.),  under  Samuel  Stevens  as  chief  magistrate. 

1668.  The  first  New  Jersey  assembly  meets  at  Elizabethtown  (May), 

and  enacts  severe  laws. 

1668.  The  Earl  of  Shaftesbury  and  Locke  frame  "the  Grand  Model  " 
constitution  for  Carolina,  creating  a  nobility,  and  establish 
ing  the  Church  of  England,  but  tolerating  every  other  re 
ligion. 

1668.  Claude  Dablon  and  Jacques  Marquette  establish  among  the 

Chippewas  the  mission  of  Sault  de  Ste.  Marie,  the  oldest 
European  settlement  in  Michigan. 

1669.  The  patent  of  "  Northern  Neck,"  Va.  (granted  1649),  is  surren 

dered  (May)  r  a  new  one  is  issued  to  Lord  Thomas  Culpepper, 
who  had  acquired  all  the  shares  of  his  associates. 


37 

1669.  La  Salle  ascends  Lake  Ontario  and  the  Niagara  River,  reaches 
Lake  Erie,  and  descends  the  Ohio  as  far  as  the  Falls  (now 
Louisville). 

1669.  The  first  assembly  in  Albemarle  colony,  Northern  Carolina,  is 

convoked  by  Governor  Stevens,  and  begins  legislation  ;  the 
laws  are  confirmed  by  the  proprietaries,  and  remain  in  force 
for  over  50  years. 

1670.  The  proprietaries  of  Carolina  send  3  ships  with  emigrants 

under  William  Sayle  (governor)  and  Joseph  West  (Jan.), 
with  jurisdiction  from  Cape  Carteret  to  as  far  south  as  the 
Spaniards  would  tolerate.  The  emigrants  found  on  Ashley 
River  the  first  town  in  Southern  Carolina,  and  establish  a 
free  government ;  not  a  vestige  of  the  settlement  remains, 
except  the  line  of  moat.  The  "Grand  Model"  is  signed 
(Mar.)  and  sent  to  the  colonists  on  Albemarle  Sound  and 
Ashley  River ;  both  reject  it.  Monk,  Duke  of  Albemarle,  is 
made  Palatine.  Sayle  soon  dies,  and  Sir  John  Yeamans  is 
appointed  governor. 

1670.  In  Virginia,  the  suffrage  is  restricted  to  freeholders  and  house 
holders. 

1670.  The  settlers  in  New  Jersey  refuse  payment  of  quit- rents, 
claiming  the  Indian  title  as  paramount;  disputes  and  eon- 
fusion  follow. 

1670.  Charles  n.  grants  to  Prince  Rupert  and  others  (the  Hudson 
Bay  Co.)  a  monopoly  of  the  regions  on  Hudson  Bay.  The 
Duke  of  York  is  made  president  of  the  African  Co.,  and 
becomes  patron  of  the  slave-trade. 

1670.  The  votes  passed  by  the  Long  Islanders  at  their  town  meet 

ings  are  burnt  in  New  York,  by  order  of  Governor  Lovelace 
and  the  council. 

1671.  At  the  instance  of  Talon,  intendant  of  Canada,  an  Indian  con 

gress  is  held  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie  (May) ;  the  tribes  are  placed 
under  the  protection  of  Louis  XIV.  Marquette  gathers  the 
remnant  of  the  Hurons  at  Point  St.  Ignace,  north  of  Macki 
naw  Strait,  a  post  which  is  long  maintained  as  the  key  of  the 
West. 

1671.  Massachusetts,  which  still  extends  to  the  Kennebec,  is  virtu 
ally  independent ;  no  custom-houses  are  erected,  the  Naviga 
tion  Acts  are  disregarded,  and  a  large  carrying-trade  is  done  ; 
Charles  H.  fears  it  will  break  away  from  all  dependence  on 
England. 

1671.  Yeamans  arrives  at  the  Ashley  River  colony  (S.  C.)  with  slaves 
from  Barbadoes ;  Dutch  emigrants  from  New  York,  discon 
tented  with  the  change  of  rule,  settle  there,  and  are  followed 
by  others  from  Holland. 

1671.  Virginia  has  no  common  schools  yet ;  children  are  instructed 

by  their  parents. 

1H71.  George  Fox,  founder  of  the  Quakers,  visits  the  American 
colonies. 

1672.  War  breaks  out  between  England  and  Holland  (Mar.) ;  it  lasts 

till  1674  ;  Navigation  Acts  are  passed  in  England. 
1672.     Baptists  are  for  the  first  time  allowed  to  hold  their  meetings 

unmolested  in  Boston,  Mass. 
1672.     The  New  York  colonists  clamor  against  the"  arbitrary  rule  of 


6t>  History  of  the   United  States. 

Governor  Lovelace,  Connecticut  surrenders  Long  Island  to 
New  Yor 

1672.  The  New  Jersey  assembly  displaces  Philip  Carteret,  and  ap 
points  James  Carteret  governor  ;  Philip  appoints  John  Berry 
his  deputy,  and  goes  to  England  for  fresh  authority. 

1672.  An  armed  force  of  Mary  landers  invade  Lewistown  on  the 
Delaware,  but  the  Duke  of  York  claims  the  country  by  right 
of  conquest  from  the  Dutch. 

1672.  William  Edmundson  from  England  visits  his  Quaker  brethren 
on  Albemarle  Sound  (N.  C.),  who  then  organize  the  first 
religious  government  in  Carolina.  George  Fox  preaches  to 
them. 

1672.  Frontenac  is  made  governor  of  Canada ;  he  begins  Fort  Fron- 

tenac  (now  Kingston)  at  the  mouth  of  Lake  Ontario.  Allouez 
and  Dablon  explore  the  country  west  of  Lake  Michigan  (Wis 
consin  and  Illinois). 

1673.  Georg'e  Fox  returns  to  England. 

1673.  Marquette  and  Louis  Joliet  descend  the  Wisconsin  and  dis 
cover  the  northern  Mississippi  (17  June)  and  the  Des  Moines ; 
set  foot  in  Iowa;  descend  the  Mississippi  as  far  as  33°  N., 
below  the  Arkansas  ;  turn  back  (17  July),  ascend  the  Illinois, 
and  reach  Green  Bay,  Lake  Michigan  (Sep.) ;  Joliet  goes  to 
Quebec  to  announce  the  discovery. 

1673.  New  York  surrenders  to  a  Dutch  squadron  (July)  ;  also  New- 
Jersey  and  Delaware. 

1673.  Charles  II.  grants  Virginia  to  Lord   Thomas  Culpepper  and 

Lord  Arlington  for  31  years ;  Virginia  is  distracted  with  do 
mestic  contests  and  stung  to  rebellion. 

1674.  Virginia  sends  agents  to  England  to  get  the  grant  to  Culpepper 

and  Arlington  cancelled,  and  the  Crown  to  resume  its  rights. 

1674.  Peace  between  England  and  Holland  (Feb.)  ;  the  American 
colonies  are  ceded  back  to  England.  The  Duke  of  York  re 
sumes  the  proprietorship  of  New  York  and  Delaware ;  and 
Carteret  and  Berkeley  of  New  Jersey.  Berkeley,  for  £1000, 
sells  his  undivided  half  to  Quakers  (Mar.).  Charles  II.  grants 
Sagadahoc  (East  Maine,  between  the  St.  Croix  and  Kennebec) 
and  the  country  from  the  Connecticut  River  to  Maryland  to 
the  Duke  of  York  (June),  who  makes  Edmund  Andros  gover 
nor,  with  absolute  power.  Andros  receives  the  surrender  of 
New  Netherlands,  New  Jersey,  and  Delaware  from  the  Dutch 
(31  Oct.) 

1674.  Stevens,  governor  of  Northern  Carolina,  dies ;  the  assembly 
elects  successors  till  1677.  • 

1674.  Joseph  West  is  appointed  governor  in  Southern  Carolina  in 
place  of  Yeamans  ;  he  governs  well  till  1683.  (West  was  one 
of  the  leaders  of  the  first  colony  in  1670.) 

1674.  The  Senecas  drive  the  Susquehannahs  from  the  head  of  the 
Chesapeake  to  the  Potomac,  and  Maryland  becomes  involved 
in  war  with  the  Susquehannahs  and  Piscataways.  • 

1674.     By  this  date  the  Pokanokets  in  Rhode  Island  had  been  crowded 

into  the  necks  of  land  now  called  Bristol  and  Tiverton,  and 

they  find  themselves  deprived  of  their  lands  and  "by  their 

0        own  legal  contracts  driven,  as  it  were,  into  the  sea."     King 

Philip,  their  chief,  on  the  information  of  Sausaman  that  he 


History  of  the   United  States  39 

is  inciting  the  Indians  to  war,  is  summoned  by  the  colo 
nists  to  submit  to  examination  ;  he  appears  at  Plymouth  and 
protests  his  innocence  ;  the  wrath  of  the  tribe  is  aroused,  and 
the  informer,  Sausaman,  is  murdered. 

1675.  The  murderers  are  tried  by  a  jury,  half  Indian,  half  white 
(June),  convicted,  and  hanged.  The  young1  men  of  the  tribe 
then  kill  8  or  9  colonists  at  Swansea,  R.  L,  and  "King 
Philip's  "War"  breaks  out.  It  spreads  to  other  tribes  and 
continues  for  over  a  year,  all  New  England  being  kept  in  a 
state  of  excitement  and  terror.  The  white  population  of 
New  England  is  55,000  ;  the  Indian,  30,000.  Brookfield,  Deer- 
fleld,  and  Springfield  are  burnt ;  but  the  Narragansetts  are 
nearly  exterminated  by  the  colonists  under  Josiah  Winslow, 
governor  of  Plymouth.  The  war  spreads  to  Maine  (Oct.)  in 
consequence  of  outrages  committed  by  sailors  on  the  Indians, 
and  Saco,  Scarboro,  Wells,  Kittery,  Oyster  River  settlement, 
Berwick,  Salmon  Falls,  Dover,  and  Exeter  suffer  from  depre 
dations  or  the  tomahawk. 

1675.  Marquette  goes  to  Kaskaskia  (111.)  to  preach  to  the  Indians. 
On  his  way  back  to  Mackinaw,  he  dies  (18  May)  at  the  river 
"  Marquette,"  Mich.,  and  is  buried  in  the  sand  neaf  its  mouth. 

1675.  Philip  Carteret  resumes  the  government  of  Northern  New  Jer 
sey,  as  deputy  of  Sir  George,  postpones  the  payment  of  quit- 
rents,  and  confirms  representative  government.  A  colony 
of  Quakers  from  England,  under  John  Fenwick,  founds 
Salem,  in  Southern  New  Jersey. 

1675.     The  English  Council  of  Trade  and  Plantations  is  abolished. 

1675.  Andros  attempts  to  enforce  his  jurisdiction  over  West  Con 
necticut,  and  demands  the  surrender  of  Fort  Saybrook  (July); 
he  is  successfully  resisted  and  sails  for  Long  Island. 

1675.  The  agents  of  Virginia  in  England  fail  to  get  a  charter ;  the 
government  is  changed  into  a  proprietary  one  ;  Lord  Cul- 
pepperis  made  governor  for  life,  and  is  proclaimed  soon  after 
Berkeley's  departure.  Susquehannahs  and  Piscataways  com 
mit  murders,  which  are  avenged  by  the  border  militia. 

1675.  Cecilius,  Lord  Baltimore,  proprietaiy  of  Maryland  for  43  years, 

dies  (Nov.) ;  his  heir,  Charles,  goes  to  England,  having  admin 
istered  the  colony  14  years  ;  the  province  is  discontented  and 
wishes  a  popular  government ;  a  rising  is  checked  only  by 
the  prompt  energy  of  the  government. 

1676.  King  Philip's  War 'in  New  England  is  ended  by  the  defeat  of 

the  Indians.  An  expedition  from  Massachusetts,  under  Ma 
jor  Waldron,  treacherously  entraps  350  Indians  at  Cocheco 
(Dover),  N.  H. ,  and  ships  them  to  Boston  to  be  sold  into  for 
eign  slavery.  Canonchet,  chief  of  the  Narragansetts,  is  taken 
prisoner  (Ap.)  and  executed  :  the  Indians  are  defeated  at 
Turner's  Falls  (19  May) ;  Philip's  wife  and  son  are  captured 
.  (3  Aug.) ;  he  himself  is  shot  by  a  faithless  Indian  (12  Aug.), 
and  his  son  is  sold  as  a  slave  to  Bermuda.  John  Eliot,  the 
missionary,  saved  some  of  the  tribes  from  extermination. 
Lancaster,  Medfield,  Weymouth,  Groton,  Marlborough,  and 
Warwick  had  been  burnt.  The  total  loss  to  the  colonists  was  : 
12  or  13  towns,  with  600  houses,  burnt,  one  family  in  20  being 
burnt  out ;  over  600  men,  the  flower  of  the  colony,  killed,  be- 


40 

ing  one  in  20  of  the  able-bodied  men  ;  cost  of  war,  $500,000. 
War  goes  on  in  Maine,  and  nearly  half  the  settlements  are 
destroyed  ;  Anne  Brackett,  taken  at  Falmouth  (Casco),  es 
capes  in  an  open  boat  across  Casco  Bay  (Aug.).  Edward 
Randolph  (agent  of  Mason  and  the  Privy  Council)  arrives  in 
New  England  with  a  royal  message  requiring  submission  ; 
Massachusetts  reluctantly  yields,  but  sends  agents  to  England 
to  protest. 

1676.  Carteret  and  the  Quakers  of  Salem  partition  New  Jersey  (Aug.), 
the  northern  part  ("East  New  Jersey")  to  Carteret,  the 
southern  ("  West  New  Jersey")  to  the  Quakers. 

1676.  New  York  resists  Andros,  and  he  advises  Charles  II.  and  the 
Duke  of  York  to  grant  legislative  franchises  ;  the  Duke  re 
fuses.  Sagadahoc  is  protected  by  a  fort  and  garrison.  Andros 
goes  to  England  (Nov.),  but  fails  to  convince  the  Duke  of  the 
need  of  granting  liberty. 

1676.  The  Indian  war  in  Virginia  goes  on,  and  plantations  are  laid 

waste.  A  contest  between  Governor  Berkeley  and  the  colo 
nists  under  Nathaniel  Bacon  leads  to  "  the  Grand  Rebellion." 
The  assembly  passes  ameliorating  legislation  (4  July,  N.  S., 
100  years  before  the  Declaration  of  Independence),  Berke 
ley  retreats  across  the  Dela.ware  (Aug.)  and  is  deposed,  and 
Sir  Henry  Chichely  is  chosen  governor  ;  Berkeley  collects  a 
strong  force  in  Accomack  and  returns  to  Jamestown  (8  Sep.), 
but  his  forces  desert,  Bacon  is  again  in  the  ascendant,  and  as 
a  precautionary  measure  burns  Jamestown,  then  a  place  of 
18  houses  ;  Bacon  dies  (1  Oct.),  and  the  royalist  leader,  Robert 
Beverley,  defeats  the  insurgents  in  detail.  Thomas  Hansford 
is  taken  and  hanged. 

1677.  William  Drummond  and  21  others  are  hanged  ;  3  others  die  of 

cruelty  in  prison  ;  the  assembly  is  convened  (Feb.),  and  votes 
an  address  "  that  the  governor  would  spill  no  more  blood." 
English  troops  had  been  introduced  into  the  colony  for  the 
first  time,  but  are  disbanded  in  three  vears.  The  legislation 
of  Bacon's  assembly  is  repealed,  and  the  colonists'  grievances 
are  revived.  Berkeley  returns  to  England,  and  is  censured 
by  public  opinion.  Lord  Culpepper,  the  governor,  is  pro 
claimed,  but  does  not  go  to  Virginia  till  1680. 

1677.  The  English  Quaker  proprietaries  of  West  New  Jersey  grant 
to  the  colonists  a  charter  of  "  Concessions"  (3  Mar.),  putting 
"the  power  in  the  people."  A  large  emigration  follows. 
Andros,  governor  of  New  York,  claims  jurisdiction  ;  his 
claim  is  referred  to  England  for  decision.  The  Quakers  hold 
religious  meetings  at  Burlington,  N.  J. 

1677.  The  Privy  Council  decides  against  the  claim  of  Massachusetts 
to  Maine  and  New  Hampshire,  and  revives  the  proprietary 
rights,  but  Massachusetts  buys  Gorges's  rights  in  Maine  for 
£i250  (May).  France,  under  the  Treaty  of  Breda,  held  the 
district  between  the  St.  Croix  and  the  Penobscot ;  the  Duke  of 
York  held  the  tract  between  the  Penobscot  and  the  Kennebec  ; 
leaving  to  Massachusetts  only  the  tract  between  the  Kenne 
bec  and  the  Piscataqua.  This  had  hitherto  been  represented 
in  the  Massachusetts  assembly  ;  it  is  now  governed  as  a  sub 
ject  province  according  to  Gorges's  charter. 


History  of  the   United  biaies.  41 

1677.  Miller,  the  new  governor  of  Northern  Carolina,  arrives  in  the 

province ;  its  population  is  about  4000.  The  Navigation 
Acts  of  1672  are  to  be  enforced. 

1678.  The  attempt  to  enforce  the  Acts  leads  to  an  insurrection  under 

John  Culpepper ;  the  colonists  imprison  Miller,  set  aside  the 
proprietary  government,  and  organize  one  of  their  own. 

1678.  Treaties  of  amity  are  ratified  between  the  Quakers  of  West 
New  Jersey  and  the  Indians. 

1 678.  Andros  returns  to  New  York  with  instructions  to  continue  the 
customs  duties  and  to  enforce  the  Duke  of  York's  claim  over 
New  Jersey  under  the  charter  of  1674.  As  governor  of  Saga- 
dahoc,  Maine,  he  makes  peace  with  the  Indians,  on  terms 
which  acknowledge  their  superiority  (Ap.).  He  claims  that 
East  New  Jersey  vessels  should  pay  dues  at  New  York  ;  Car- 
teret  refuses,  is  arrested,  but  is  acquitted  by  an  honest  New 
York  jury.  Andros's  agent  at  Newcastle,  Del.,  exacts  cus 
toms  of  ships  ascending  to  West  New  Jersey  ;  the  Quaker 
settlers  remonstrate,  and  the  question  is  referred  to  arbitra 
tion,  when  Sir  W.  Jones  decides  against  the  Duke  of  York 
and  in  favor  of  West  New  Jersey.  The  province  of  New  York 
has  about  20,000  people,  3000  being  on  Manhattan  Island. 

1678.  The  Maryland  assembly,  during  the  absence  of  the  proprietary, 
makes  the  suffrage  more  popular. 

1678.  La  Salle  returns  from  France  to  Canada,  with  Tonti  as  his 

lieutenant.  They  leave  Fort  Frontenac,  cross  Lake  Ontario, 
and  ascend  the  Niagara  in  a  canoe  of  10  tons,  the  first  that 
ever  sailed  into  the  river.  At  Tonawanta  Creek,  on  the  up 
per  Niagara,  La  Salle  commences  the  Griffin,  a  vessel  of  60 
tons. 

1679.  The  colonists  of  Northern  Carolina  send  John  Culpepper  and 

Holden  to  England  to  effect  a  compromise ;  Miller,  the  de 
posed  governor,  being  released  from  prison,  follows,  and  pro 
cures  Culpepper  s  arrest  on  a  charge  of  high  treason.  Charles 
IE.,  at  his  own  expense,  sends  a  colony  of  foreign  Protestants 
to  Southern  Carolina  (Ap.).  An  Irish  colony,  under  Ferguson, 
goes  there. 

^079.  Andros  increases  the  revenue  of  New  York,  but  it  still  amounts 
to  only  3  per  cent,  on  the  imports,  and  is  insufficient  for  the 
expenses. 

'679.  Massachusetts,  before  the  return  of  its  agents  in  England,  de 
clares  the  "Acts  of  Navigation  an  invasion  of  the  rights  of 
the  colonists,  they  not  being  represented  in  Parliament,"  and 
that  "the  laws  of  England  do  not  rea.ch  America;"  the 
General  Court  then  passes  an  Act  of  its  own  giving  validity 
to  the  Navigation  Acts. 

1679.  Mason's  patent  of  New  Hampshire  being  found  to  give  no 
right  to  jurisdiction,  but  only  to  the  soil,  the  colony  is  sepa 
rated  from  Massachusetts,  and  organized  into  a  royal  prov 
ince  (July),  Mason's  proprietary  rights  being  allowed  him. 

1679.     The  European  population  of  New  France  is  8515. 

1679.  La  Salle  launches  the  Griffin,  and,  with  Tonti  and  a  colony  of 
fur-traders,  sails  onto  Lake  Erie,  through  Lake  St.Clair  (which 
he  names)  and  Lake  Huron,  to  Green  Bay,  Lake  Michigan  ; 
he  sends  back  the  Griffin,  goes  in  canoes  to  the  head  of  Lake 


43  ,  History  of  the,    United  States. 

Michigan,  there  founds  Fort  Miami,  on  the  St.  Joseph's  River, 
and  makes  his  way  to  the  Illinois  River  (now  La  Salle  Co., 
111.). 

1680.  He  builds  Fort  Crevecoeur  on  the  Illinois,  4  days'  journey  be 
low  Lake  Peoria  ;  sends  Hennepin  to  explore  the  upper  Mis 
sissippi  ;  and,  the  Griffin  not  having-  returned  with  supplies, 
he  leaves  Tonti  behind  to  found  Rock  Fort,  and  with  three 
companions  sets  out  (Mar.)  to  walk  to  Fort  Frontenac  (now 
Kingston,  Ont.).  Hennepin  ascends  the  Mississippi  and  dis 
covers  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  ;  Tonti,  being  threatened 
by  the  Iroquois,  goes  among  the  Potawatomies  on  Lake 
Michigan. 

1680.  The  New  Hampshire  assembly  meets  at  Portsmouth  (Mar.), 
and  asserts  the  right  to  self-government.  Mason,  failing  to 
establish  his  claim  to  the  soil,  gees  to  England,  is  authorized 
to  select  a  governor,  and  appoints  Edward  Cranfield. 

1680.  Dunster,  President  of  Harvard,  is  tried  and  compelled  to  re 
sign  for  being  a  Baptist.  The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts 
forbids  Baptists  to  assemble  in  their  meeting-house,  but  the 
prohibition  is  merely  a  matter  of  form,  and  the  persecution 
of  Baptists  finally  ceases  in  Boston. 

1680.  The  Duke  of  York  acquiesces  in  Sir  W.  Jones's  decision  against 
his  claim  to  customs  dues  from  West  New  Jersey,  and  he 
relinquishes  by  deed  all  claims  to  the  territory  and  govern 
ment.  Andros  again  enters  East  New  Jersey  to  enforce  the 
Duke's  claims ;  the  assembly  resists,  pleads  Magna  Charta, 
and  the  province  maintains  its  independence. 

1680.     Lord  Thomas  Culpepper  arrives  in  Virginia  as  governor  ;  ex 
torts  a  perpetual  export  duty  on  tobacco  as  a  royal  revenue 
.    (June) ;  has  his  salary  increased  from  £1000  to  £2000  ;  changes 
the  value  of  the  currency  ;  and  returns  to  England  (Aug.). 

1680.  William  Penn  solicits  from  Charles  II.  a  patent  for  Pennsyl 
vania  (June).  John  Culpepper  is  tried  in  England  for  treason 
(June),  and  acquitted.  Seth  Sothel  buys  Clarendon's  }£  shar^ 
in  Carolina,  and  is  selected  by  the  proprietaries  to  look  af  tei 
their  interests  in  Northern  Carolina,  in  place  of  Miller  ;  he  do ' 
not  go  out  till  1683. 

1680.  Charleston  (S.  C.)  is  founded   by  graziers  under  John   Cv 

Kepper. 
arles  II.  grants  to  William  Penn  (Mar.)  a  patent  for  the  ter 
ritory  north  of  Maryland  and  west  of  the  Delaware,  which  the 
king*  calls  Pennsylvania  ;   William  Markham  sails  thither  as 
Penn's  agent  (May). 

1681.  Discontent  in  New  York  leads  to  the  assembling  of  a  populai 

convention.     Andros  is  recalled  to  England  and  knighted. 

1681.  Lord  Baltimore  returns  to  Maryland,  annuls  the  popular  legis 
lation  passed  in  his  absence,  and  restricts  the  franchise  ;  the 
consequent  discontent  is  increased  by  hostility  to  the  Papists 
an  insurrection  under  Fendall  is  suppressed  with  clemency  . 
the  English  ministry  order  that  public  offices  be  entrusted 
only  to  Protestants. 

1681.  Jennings,  governor  of  West  New  Jersey,  convenes  the 
Quaker  assembly  (Nov.),  which  frames  a  government  on 
basis  of  humanity. 


History  of  the   United  States.  43.. 

1681.  La  Salle  returns  from  Canada  to  Illinois,  and  leaves  Fort  Miami 

for  the  Mississippi  (Dec.). 

1682.  He  descends  the  Illinois  and  the  Mississippi  to  the  sea,  and 

claims  for  France  (9  Ap.)  the  territory  watered  by  the  river, 
calling  it  Louisiana.  Returning  he  begins  Fort  St.  Louis,  at 
Starved  Rock,  on  the  Illinois. 

1682.  Massachusetts  sends  agents  to  England  (Feb.),  who  find  that  a 
war  against  the  corporation  has  begun,  and  that  the  case  of 
the  colony  is  desperate ;  Massachusetts  resigns  Western 
Maine,  but  wfll  not  concede  anything  held  under  the  charter. 

1682.  Carteret  sells  East  New  Jersey  to  12  Quakers,  under  the 
auspices  of  Penn.  (Feb.) ;  Thomas  Rudyard  takes  possession 
as  governor,  or  agent,  for  them. 

1682.  Penn  publishes  a  frame  of  government  for  Pennsylvania  (May) 
subject  to  the  approval  of  the  colonists  ;  he  obtains  from  the 
Duke  of  York  an  assignment  of  his  claims  to  Delaware,  and 
the  Swedish  settlements  at  Tinicum,  etc. ;  sails  from  England 
(1  Sep.);  arrives  at  Newcastle,  Penn.  (27  Oct.),  and  is  wel 
comed  by  the  English  settlers  at  Chester;  he  makes,  at 
Shackamaxon  (now  Kensington),  his  famous  treaty  with  the 
Lenni  Lenape  ;  and  marks  out  the  site  of  Philadelphia  (Nov.). 
A  convention  meets  at  Chester,  and  finishes  the  work  of  pre 
paratory  legislation  (Dec.).  A  conference  is  had  with  Lord 
Baltimore  as  to  the  boundary  between  Maryland  and  Penn 
sylvania. 

1682.  The  New  Hampshire  assembly,  convened  by  Cranfield  (Nov.), 

declines  to  yield  its  liberties. 

1683.  Cranfield,  in  anger,  dissolves  the  assembly  (Jan.),  a  novel  pro 

cedure  which  creates  discontent      Mason  institutes  lawsuits 

to  collect  his  land-dues,  but  without  avail. 
1683.     Philadelphia  founded  (Jan.) ;  the  assembly  meets  there  (Mar.); 

in  Aug.  there  are  only  "  three  or  four  little  cottages." 
1683.     The  Duke  of  York  grants  to  the  Quaker  assignees  of  Carteret 

a  new  deed  of  East  New  Jersey  (Mar.) ;  Robert  Barclay  is 

chosen  governor  for  life  ;  his  deputy  is  Gawen  Laurie. 
1683.     Lord  Culpepper  returns  to  Virginia  and  deprives  the  assembly 

of  all  control  over  the  executive  (May) ;  the  council  requests 

the  king  to  recall  the  grant  to  Culpepper  and  Arlington ; 

Arlington  assigns  his  share  to  Culpepper  ;  and  the  charter  is 

declared  void  by  process  of  law. 

1683.     Sothel  arrives  in  Northern  Carolina  and  finds  tranquillity  re 
stored,  and  the  people  prosperous  ;  he  makes  unjust  exactions. 
1683.     The    proprietaries  dismiss  West  from  the  governorship    of 

Southern  Carolina,  on  a  charge  of  favoring  the  popular  party. 

Morton  is  appointed  his  successor. 
1683.     The  Duke  of  York  sends  Thomas  Dongan,  a  Papist,  to  New 

York  as  governor,  with  instructions  to  convene  an  assembly; 

it  meets  (17  Oct.),  and  passes  a   'Charter  of  Liberties,"  with 

toleration  to  all  Christians. 
1683.     A  quo  warranto  is  issued  against  the  Massachusetts  charter, 

and  Randolph  arrives  in  the  colony  with  the  writ  (Oct.)  ;  the 

General  Court  makes  an  ineffectual  protest. 
1683.     La  Salle,  leaving  Tonti  in  command  in  Illinois  with  instructions 

to  descend  the  Mississippi  anr*  ^eet  him,  returns  to  Quebec 


44  History  of  the   tfnited  S 

and  sails  for  France  (Nov.).  The  European  population  of  Ne\$ 
France  is  about  10,000. 

1684.  La  Salle  is  made  commandant  of  Louisiana  (14  Ap.),  and 
leaves  Rochelle  (July)  with  4  ships  and  280  colonists  for  the 
Mississippi. 

1684.  In  Pennsylvania  a  woman  is  tried  as  a  witch,  but  liberated 
(Feb.) ;  a  large  European  emigration  takes  place ;  negro 
slavery  is  introduced  ;  Penn  sails  to  England  (12  Aug.)  to 
settle  his  claim  to  Delaware  as  against  Lord  Baltimore's, 
His  colony  already  numbers  7000  people. 

1684.  In  New  Hampshire  the  contest  between  Governor  Cranfield  and 
the  assembly  culminates  in  rioting. 

1684.  The  charter  of  Massachusetts  is  declared  conditionally  for 
feited  (18  June) ;  and  the  judgment  is  confirmed  on  the  first 
day  of  Michaelmas  term.  The  last  meeting  of  the  council  of 
"  The  United  Colonies  of  New  England  "  (formed  1643)  is  held 
at  Hartford  (5  Sep.). 

1684.  A  small  colony  of  Scotch  Presbyterians  under  Lord  Cardross 
settle  at  Beaufort  (Port  Royal,  S.  C.). 

1684.  Virginia  is  again  made  a  royal  province,  Lord  Howard  of 
Effingham  being  appointed  governor  in  place  of  Lord  Cul- 
pepper. 

1684.  In  view  of  an  approaching"  war  between  the  French  and  the 

Five  Nations,  the  governors  of  New  York  and  Virginia 
(Dongan  and  Lord  Howard)  and  the  agent  of  Massachusetts 
meet  the  Indian  sachems  at  Albany  (July),  and  renew  their 
treaties  of  peace,  extending  from  the  St.  Croix  (Me.)  to  Albe- 
marle  Sound  (N.  C.).  De  la  Barre,  governor  of  Canada,  with 
1700  men,  invades  the  country  of  the  Onondagas  in  Western 
New  York  (Aug.),  but  his  troops  are  wasted  by  disease,  and 
he  sues  for  and  is  granted  a  humiliating  peace.  At  the  re 
quest  of  Dongan,  the  Mohawks  refuse  to  negotiate  with  him. 

1685.  La  Salle's  expedition,  by  mistake,  sails  beyond  the  Mississippi 

(Jan.) ;  it  enters  Matagorda  Bay  (Texas),  where  the  store- 
ship  is  wrecked  ;  two  ships  return  to  France,  leaving  La 
Salle  with  the  other,  and  about  230  colonists ;  he  builds  Fort 
St.  Louis  on  the  Bay  (June),  and  starts  (Nov.)  on  an  unsuc 
cessful  canoe  voyage  in  search  of  the  Mississippi.  De  la  Barre 
is  superseded  by  Denonville  as  governor  of  Canada. 

1685.  Charles  II.  dies  (6  Feb.);  James  II.  succeeds;  he  resolves  to 
reduce  all  the  colonies  to  direct  dependence  on  the  Crown. 
Lord  Baltimore,  leaving  William  Joseph  as  his  deputy  in 
Maryland,  goes  to  England  and  appeals  in  vain  ;  his  chartered 
rights  are  despised.  By  direction  of  James,  Dongan,  gov 
ernor  of  N.  Y.  levies  arbitrary  taxes  without  the  consent  of 
the  assembly  ;  six  farmers  of  Easthampton  are  arraigned 
before  the  council  for  protesting  against  his  tyranny. 

1685.  A  copy  of  the  judgment  cancelling  the  charter  of  Massachu 
setts  arrives  in  Boston  (July). 

1685.     A  large  Scotch  emigration  to  East  New  Jersey  takes  place. 

1685.  Philadelphia  has  already  600  houses  ;  a  printing-press  is  set  up. 
The  Committee  of  Trade  and  Plantations  decides  in  Penn's 
favor  that  Delaware  is  not  a  part  of  Maryland,  and  the 
boundary  is  settled  by  compromise. 


itt85.  About  lUUO  prisoners  taken  in  Monraouth's  rebellion  are  sent 
to  Virginia  to  be  indented  as  servants  for  ten  years  ;  the 
latter  design  is  not  carried  out ;  in  this  way  Virginia  receives 
some  useful  citizens. 

1685.  The  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  (22  Oct.)  causes  a  large 
emigration  of  Huguenots  to  New  England,  New  York,  and 
especially  to  Southern  Carolina  ;  they  found  a  church  at 
Charleston,  and  establish  a  colony  on  the  Santee  River  (S.  C.). 

1685.  The  proprietaries  appoint  a   collector  of  plantation-dues  in 

Southern  Carolina  ;  a  new  struggle  ensues.  The  Navigation 
Acts  are  resisted. 

1686.  La  Salle,  with  20  men,  starts  from  Matagorda  Bay  (Ap.)  in 

search  of  gold  mines  in  Northern  Mexico  ;  on  his  return, 
finding  his  ship  wrecked,  and  only  about  40  colonists  left,  he 
determines  to  make  his  way  by  land  to  Canada. 

1686.     English  traders  penetrate  from  New  York  as  far  as  Mackinaw. 

1686.  Joseph  Dudley  is  made  "President"  of  the  colonies  from  Nova 
Scotia  to  Narragansett  Bay  ;  he  arrives  in  Boston  (May),  and 
establishes  arbitrary  government.  A  quo  warranto  having 
been  issued  against  the  charter  of  Rhode  Island,  the  colony 
appeals  to  the  king  for  their  chartered  liberties  (May).  Sir 
Edmund  Andros  is  made  governor  of  New  England  ;  he  lands 
at  Boston  (Dec.) ;  establishes  a  still  more  arbitrary  govern 
ment  ;  requires  the  colonists  to  take  out  new  grants  for  their 
lands,  for  which  exorbitant  fees  are  required ;  and  demands 
one  of  the  meeting-houses  for  a  church.  He  also  demands 
the  surrender  of  the  Rhode  Island  charter. 

1686.  Virginia  is  governed  despotically  ;  a  perpetual  revenue  is  ex 
torted  from  the  assembly  ;  no  printing-press  is  allowed  ;  and 
the  Navigation  Acts  are  enforced. 

1686.  In  Southern  Carolina,  Spaniards  from  Florida  destroy  the 
Scotch  settlement  at  Beaufort ;  some  of  the  colonists  return 
to  Scotland,  others  mingle  with  the  earlier  settlers.  James 
Colleton  is  appointed  governor  (Aug);  a  majority  of  the  assem 
bly  refuse  to  acknowledge  the  "Grand  Model"  constitution 
(Nov.),  and  Colleton  excludes  them  ;  they  protest  against  any 
legislation  by  the  minority. 

1686.  Penn  obtains  from  James  II.  the  release  of  1200  Quakers  from 

English  jails. 

1687.  La  Salle,  leaving  20  men  at  Fort  St.  Louis,  starts  with  16  for 

Canada  (Jan.);  he  and  his  nephew  are  murdered  by  mutineers, 
Duhaut  and  L'ArchevSque,  on  a  branch  of  the  Trinity  River 
(20  Mar.) ;  Duhaut  and  another  mutineer  are  murdered  in  a 
quarrel  over  the  spoils,  and  the  six  surviving  conspirators 
join  the  Indians.  Joutel  and  six  others  (including  La  Salle's 
brother  and  nephew)  make  their  way  to  the  Mississippi, 
where,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas,  they  see  a  cross 
(24  July)  erected  by  Tonti,  who  with  a  companion,  had  de 
scended  the  river,  and  established  a  post ;  Joutel  ascends  the 
river  and  finds  a  garrison  at  Fort  St.  Louis  on  the  Illinois. 
The  20  left  at  Fort  St.  Louis,  Matagorda  Bay,  are  nearly  all 
killed  by  the  Clamcoet  Indians. 

1687.  Andros  dissolves  tha  government  of  Rhode  Island  (Jan.)  ;  by 
an  attack  on  Castine  (Me.)  gets  into  war  with  the  Indians  of 


46  History  of  the.    United  States. 

Maine  ;  goes  to  Connecticut  (31  Oct.),  and  demands  the  sur 
render  of  the  charter  ;  it  is  hidden  by  William  Wadsworth, 
of  Hartford,  in  "  Charter  Oak  ; "  Andros  assumes  the  govern 
ment  and  writes  the  word  "Finis"  to  the  records  of  the 
colony.  Increase  Mather  goes  to  England  to  complain  to 
the  king  of  Andros' s  arbitrary  government. 

1687.  The  new  assembly  in  Southern  Carolina  proves  more  intract 
able  than  the  old,  and  their  ' '  Standing  Laws "  are  nega 
tived  by  the  Palatine  Court.  Colleton  attempts  to  collect 
quit-rents  on  wild  lands,  insubordination  ensues,  the  secretary 
is  imprisoned,  and  the  governor  is  defied. 

1687.  James  II.,  through  Dongan,  governor  of  N.  Y.,  still  seeks  to 
levy  a  tax  on  the  commerce  of  both  New  Jerseys  ;  failing, 
he  seeks  by  a  quo  warranto  to  abrogate  their  charters. 

1687.  Joseph  Marest  and  another  Jesuit  visit  the  Sioux,  west  of 

Lake  Superior.  The  French  from  Canada  invade  the  country 
of  the  Senecas  and  erect  Fort  Niagara  ;  Dongan,  governor  of 
N.  Y.,  tries  in  vain  to  mediate  a  peace  between  them. 

1688.  Haaskouan,  the  Seneca  chief,  advances  with  500  warriors,  and 

dictates  a  peace  to  the  French  ;  they  abandon  Fort  Niagara, 
and  all  claim  to  the  Indian  territory  south  of  Lake  Ontario. 
A  census  of  French  America  shows  only  11,249  persons, 
about  -£$  the  population  of  the  English  colonies. 

1688.  The  proprietaries  of  East  New  Jersey,  to  secure  the  soil,  sur 
render  the  jurisdiction  (Ap.) ;  the  council  of  the  proprietaries 
of  West  New  Jersey  surrenders  the  government  (Oct.) ;  and 
both  New  Jerseys  are  added  to  New  York.  Andros,  already 
governor  of  New  England,  is  made  governor  of  New  York  in 
place  of  Dongan,  the  whole  colonies  between  Nova  Scotia 
and  the  Delaware  being  united  under  him  in  one  extensive 
despotism  ;  Francis  Nicholson  is  made  his  lieutenant-gov 
ernor  in  New  York  and  New  Jersey. 

1688.  William  Joseph,  Baltimore's  administrator  in  Maryland,  pre 
scribes  an  oath  of  fidelity  for  the  assembly ;  it  resists  and  is 
prorogued  ;  discontent  increases. 

1688.  The  Virginia  assembly  proves  refractory  (Ap.),  and  is  dis 
solved  ;  the  people  resort  to  arms  and  threaten  insurrec 
tion,  and  Lord  Howard,  the  governor,  is  compelled  to  prac 
tise  moderation. 

1688.  The  people  of  Northern  Carolina,  after  bearing  with  Sothel  for 
five  years,  depose  him  and  sentence  him  to  a  year's  exile. 

1688.  A  daughter  of  John  Goodwin,  of  Boston  (13  years  old),  charges 
an  Irish  laundress  with  theft,  and  failing  in  the  accusation, 
pretends  to  be  bewitched,  and  so  revives  the  witch  persecu 
tion  in  Massachusetts  ;  Glover,  the  mother  of  the  laundress, 
is  condemned  and  executed  as  a  witch.  Cotton  Mather 
preaches  on  the  subject  of  witchcraft,  inciting  the  persecution. 

1688.  James  H.  is  compelled  to  abdicate  (11  Dec.). 

1689.  William  III.  and  Mary  are  proclaimed  king  and  queen  in  Eng 

land  (13  Feb.). 

1689.  Colleton,  governor  of  Southern  Carolina,  calls  out  the  militia 
and  proclaims  martial  law,  but  the  militia  being  the  people, 
there  are  no  troops  to  execute  the  martial  law,  and  Colleton 
is  helpless. 


History  of  the   United  States.  4? 

1689.  News  of  the  English  revolution  reaches  Boston  (4  Ap.),  and 
leads  to  revolution  in  nearly  all  the  colonies.  In  New  Hamp 
shire  a  convention  is  held  which  organizes  a  government ; 
at  its  second  session  it  reunites  the  province  with  Mass.  In 
Massachusetts,  the  colonists,  under  Green,  imprison  Andros, 
George  (commander  of  the  frigate  Rose),  and  the  royal 
sheriff  (18  Ap.) ;  the  old  magistrates  are  reinstated  ;  and  a 
convention  meets  (May)  which  urges  the  restoration  of  the 
charter  ;  the  council  re  fuses  consent  to  the  operations  of  the 
revolutionists  and  permits  only  a  compromise  ;  William  ILL, 
on  a  petition  presented  to  him  by  Increase  Mather  (Mar.), 
had  recalled  Andros.  In  Plymouth  colony,  Nathaniel  Clark, 
Andros' s  agent,  is  imprisoned  (22  Ap.) ;  Thomas  Hinckley, 
the  former  governor,  resumes  office  ;  and  the  constitution  of 
the  Mayflower  Pilgrims  is  renewed.  In  Rhode  Island,  the 
charter  is  revived,  the  officers  displaced  by  Andros  are  re 
stored  (1  May),  except  Walter  Clark,  the  former  governor, 
who  wavers,  and  the  colony  is  without  a  governor  for  some 
time.  In  Connecticut,  the  government  of  Andros  is  removed, 
Governor  Treat  resumes  office,  the  charter  is  restored,  and 
an  assembly  is  convened  (May) ;  Suffolk  Co.,  L.  L,  is  again 
joined  to  Connecticut.  In  New  York,  a  "Committee  of 
Safety"  reorganizes  the  government ;  entrusts  Jacob  Leisler 
with  the  command  of  the  fort  (June) ;  expels  Andros's 
deputy,  Nicholson  (Aug.)  ;  and  makes  Leisler  temporary 
governor  :  members  of  Andros's  government,  after  fruitless 
opposition,  retire  to  Albany,  proclaim  allegiance  to  William 
HI. ,  and  disregard  Leisler's  authority  :  letters  from  William 
HE.  to  Nicholson  or,  "  in  his  absence,"  to  "  the  preservers  of 
peace  and  order  in  New  York,"  reach  New  York  (Dec.),  and, 
Nicholson  being  absent,  Leisler  interprets  them  as  the  royal 
sanction  of  his  authority.  In  New  Jersey,  the  government 
simply  falls  with  Andros  (June) ;  the  sovereignty  is  merged 
in  the  crown  ;  no  new  governor  is  appointed  ;  and  the  prov 
ince  remains  without  one  till  1692.  In  Maryland,  as  the 
deputies  of  Lord  Baltimore  hesitate  to  proclaim  William  and 
Mary,  an  armed  association  of  Protestants  is  formed  under 
John  Coode  (Ap.),  which  assumes  the  government;  annuls 
his  authority,  but  leaves  him  his  property  ;  and  overcomes 
his  representatives,  who  consent  to  the  exclusion  of  Papists 
from  office.  The  revolution  in  New  England  excites  alarm 
in  England,  as  indicating  a  daring  spirit. 

The  total  population  of  the  colonies  at  this  date  was  about 
200,000,  as  follows  :  Massachusetts  (including  Maine  and 
Plymouth),  44,000 ;  New  Hampshire,  6000  ;  Rhode  Island 
and  Providence,  6000  ;  Connecticut,  19,000 ;  New  York, 
20,000  ;  New  Jersey,  10,000  ;  Pennsylvania  and  Delaware, 
12,000  ;  Maryland,  25,000  :  Virginia,  50,000  ;  Carolina  (as  far 
as  Florida),  8000. 

1689.  Blackwell,  deputy-governor  of  Pennsylvania,  resigns,  and 
Penn  makes  the  elected  council  his  deputy.  Jealousies 
spring  up  in  Delaware  against  Penn's  jurisdiction. 

1689.  France  declares  war  against  England  (June),  "  King  William's 
War  ;  "  it  lasts  till  1697.  At  the  instigation  of  Baron  de  St. 


48  MUtery  »f  #te   Vhfad 

Castin,  the  Indians  in  Maine,  in  revenge  for  the  injury  done 
them  in  1676,  massacre  23  people  (including  Major  Waldrori> 
and  capture  29,  at  Cocheco  (Dover),  N.  H.  (27  June) ;  Indians 
from  the  Penobscot  take  Pemaquid  (Bristol)  Fort  (Aug.). 
The  Iroquois  capture  Montreal  (25  Aug.) ;  New  England 
makes  at  Albany  a  treaty  of  alliance  with  the  Mohawks 
(Sep.).  Frontenac  returns  to  Canada  as  governor  in  place  of 
Denonville  (Oct.).  Spain  renews  the  Assiento  Treaty  for  the 
exportation  of  slaves  to  Spanish  America. 

1689.     Mason  sells  New  Hampshire  to  Samuel  Allen,  of  London. 

1689.  The  prisoners  from  Monmouth's  army,  sent  to  Virginia  in 
1685,  are  pardoned  (Dec.). 

1689.  Cotton  Mather,  of  Boston,  publishes  in  London  his  "Memo 

rable  Providences  relating  to  Witchcraft  and  Possessions." 

1690.  Frontenac  resolves  to  make  a  triple  descent  into  the  English 

provinces.  A  party  of  French  and  Indians,  including-  D'lber- 
ville,  from  Montreal,  captures  Schenectady  (8  Feb.)  and  mas 
sacres  60  persons,  including*  17  children.  A  party  from 
Three  Payers,  under  Hertel,  burns  Salmon  Falls  village  on 
the  Piscataqua  (Mar.)  ;  and  being  reinforced  from  Quebec 
and  by  St.  Castin,  successfully  attacks  the  fort  and  settle 
ment  on  Casco  Bay  (Falmouth)  in  Ap.  At  the  invitation  of 
the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  a  congress  of  delegates 
from  the  colonies  as  far  as  Maryland  is  held  at  New  York  (1 
May),  and  resolves  to  attempt  the  conquest  of  Canada  and 
Acadia.  Divided  counsels  frustrate  the  projected  land  attack 
on  Canada ;  that  by  sea  fails  through  the  incompetence  of 
its  commander,  Sir  William  Phipps,  who,  on  reaching 
Quebec  (16  Oct.),  finding  the  enemy  prepared,  turns  back. 
Massachusetts  issues  Bills  of  Credit. 

1690.  Nicholson,  ex-deputy-governor  of  New  York,  is  made  governor 
of  Virginia. 

1690.  The  assembly  of  Southern  Carolina  proclaims  William  and 
Mary,  and  disfranchises  and  banishes  the  governor,  Colleton  ; 
the  proprietaries  are  allowed  their  possessions.  Seth  Sothel 
comes  from  Northern  Carolina,  and  usurps  the  government. 

1690.  The  Rhode  Island  assembly  elects  Henry  Bull  governor,  and 
organizes  a  new  government. 

1690o  The  refugees  from  New  York  at  Albany  yield  to  Leisler  :  an 
assembly  convened  at  New  York  organizes  the  government. 

1690.  Judges  Holt  and  Pollexfen  hold  that  negroes  are  "merchan 
dise"  within  the  Navigation  Act,  and  that  aliens  are  conse 
quently  by  that  Act  excluded  from  trading  in  them. 

1690.  Capt.  De  Leon,  a  Spaniard,  establishes  the  mission  of  San 

Francisco,  on  the  site  of  Fort  St  Louis,  Matagorda  Bay, 
Texas.  A  Spanish  governor  is  appointed  in  1691. 

1691.  Sloughter  arrives  in"  New  York  from  England  as  royal  gov 

ernor  (19  Mar  ) ;  he  orders  the  arrest  of  Leisler  and  his  coun 
cil  of  seven  ;  they  are  found  guilty  of  high  treason  ;  6  are 
reprieved,  but  Leisler  and  Milborne  (his  son-in-law),  with  the 
approval  of  the  council  and  assembly,  are  executed  (16  May). 
William  III.  subsequently  restored  to  their  families  the 
estates  of  the  two  men  thus  judicially  murdered.  Sloughter 
makes  a  treaty  of  alliance  with  the  Five  Nations  ;  he  die« 


History  of  the   United  States.  49 

;691.  Delaware  secedes  from  Pennsylvania  ;  Penn  recognizes  the 
secession,  and  appoints  Markham  deputy-governor  of  Dela 
ware  (Ap.). 

^691.  The  assembly  of  Southern  Carolina  grants  rewards  for  new 
methods  of  cleaning  rice,  which  had  been  introduced  from 
Madagascar  at  an  early  date. 

1691.     William  HI.  makes  Maryland  a  royal  province  (June). 

1691.  Peter  Schuyler,  of  Albany,  gams  some  successes  at  the  French 
settlements  on  the  Sorel  (July) ;  the  French  recover  Port 
Royal,  N.  S. 

1691.  William  III.  offers  a  new  charter  to  Massachusetts,  but  it 
reserves  such  power  to  the  Crown  that  Cooke,  the  colonial 
envoy,  declines  it  (Oct.). 

1691.  New  Hampshire  is  again  separated  from  Massachusetts,  and 

made  a  royal  province  ;  Samuel  Allen,  Mason's  assignee,  is 
made  royal  governor,  and  his  son-in-law,  Usher,  of  Boston, 
deputy-governor. 

1692.  The  French  and  Indians  take  York  (Maine),  and  kill  or  capture 

the  inhabitants  (Jan.);  the  English  restore  Fort  Pemaquid 
(Bristol) ;  they  make  peace  with  the  Abenakis,  but  in  less 
than  a  year  the  Jesuits  again  incite  the  Indians  to  war. 
Rasles,  the  Jesuit  missionary,  leaves  Maine  and  winters  at 
Mackinaw. 

1692.  William  III.  grants  a  new  charter  to  Massachusetts,  including 
Plymouth,  the  Elizabeth  Islands,  and  the  country  as  far  as 
the  St.  Lawrence,  except  New  Hampshire,  which  is  made  a 
royal  province.  Sir  William  Phipps  arrives  in  Boston  with 
the  charter,  as  governor  (14  May) ;  William  Stoughton  is 
made  deputy-governor.  •  The  witch  persecution  rages  at  Sa 
lem,  now  Danvers  Centre  (Feb. -Oct.) ;  20  men  and  women  are 
put  to  death,  and  55  are  tortured  or  terrified  into  confession  ; 
Stoughton  acts  as  judge  of  the  witch  tribunal.  The  General 
Court  abolishes  the  special  court  for  trying  witches,  adopts 
the  English  law,  and  establishes  a  tribunal  for  their  trial  by 
public  law  (Oct.). 

1692.  Usher  organizes  the  government  of  New  Hampshire.  The  his 
tory  of  N.  H.  for  25  years  is  a  record  of  lawsuits  about  land. 

1692.  Sir  Edmund  Andros  is  made  governor  of  Virginia  (July)  in 
place  of  Nicholson  ;  he  remains  till  1698. 

1692.  Sir  Lionel  Copley  arrives  in  Maryland  as  royal  governor  ;  he 
convenes  an  assembly  which  establishes  the  Church  of  Eng 
land,  to  be  supported  by  general  taxation. 

1692.  The  proprietaries  of  East  New  Jersey  appoint  Andrew  Hamil 
ton  governor  ;  he  "serves  the  people  acceptably"  till  1698. 

1692.  Col.  Benjamin  Fletcher  is  made  governor  of  New  York  in 
place  of  Slough ter ;  the  design  is  revived  of  extending  N.  Y. 
from  the  Connecticut  River  to  Delaware  Bay.  N.  Y.  petitions 
the  king  that  the  other  colonies  should  contribute  to  its  de 
fence  against  the  French  and  Indians.  William  III.  claims 
command  of  the  militia  as  a  part  of  the  royal  prerogative, 
and  confers  that  of  New  Jersey  and  Connecticut  on  Fletcher. 
Penn,  accused  of  being  hostile  to  the  English  revolution,  is 
deprived  of  the  proprietorship  of  Pennsylvania,  which  is  made 
a  royal  province,  with  Fletcher  as  governor. 


50  Mi&ery  &f  the    United  States. 

1693.  Fletcher  reunites  Delaware  with  Pennsylvania  (Ap.) ;  the 
united  assembly  insists  on  the  charter  and  code  of  laws 
(May) ;  Fletcher  tries  in  vain  to  compromise,  and  from  this 
time  the  assembly  exercises  the  right  of  originating  its  bills. 
Fletcher  goes  to  Hartford,  Conn.,  to  assume  command  of  the 
militia  (26  Oct.)  ;  their  captain,  William  Wadsworth,  refuses 
to  yield  it,  and  Fletcher,  daunted,  returns  to  N.  Y.  The 
N.  Y.  assembly  partly  establishes  the  Church  of  England  ;  the 
most  northerly  colony  which  did  so. 

1693.  The  insurrectionary  movement  in  Southern  Carolina  comes  to 
an  end  ;  Philip  Lud well,  on  behalf  of  the  proprietaries,  investi 
gates  the  grievances  of  the  colonists ;  and  the  proprietaries 
abolish  the  "Grand  Model,"  and  grant  the  request  of  the 
colonists  to  be  governed  by  the  charter  (Ap.).  Lud  well  is 
made  governor  in  place  of  Sothel.  The  negroes  of  the  colony 
are  to  the  whites  as  11  to  6. 

1693.  The  French  and  Indians,  under  Villieu,  capture  the  village  at 
Oyster  River,  N.  H.,  and  kill  or  capture  94.  The  French  in 
vade  the  Mohawk  country,  and  obtain  three  successes  ;  but 
Schuyler,  of  Albany,  attacks  them  and  liberates  many  cap 
tives. 

1693.  At  Salem  a  reaction  sets  in  ag-ainst  the  witch  persecution  ;  the 
grand  jury  finds  bills  against  26,  but  all  are  acquitted  except 
3,  and  these  are  reprieved  ;  Rev.  S.  Parris,  the  originator  of 
the  persecution,  is  driven  from  Salem. 

1693.  The  College  of  William  and  Mary  founded  near  Williamsburg, 
Va. ;  the  second  in  the  U.  S. 

1693.  Rasles  goes  from  Mackinaw  to  Illinois  for  two  years  as  a  mis 
sionary. 

1693.  The  Spanish  settlements  in  Texas  are  abandoned  ;  other  settle 

ments  are  made  subsequently,  and  called  the  New  Philippines. 

1694.  Fletcher  and  Phipps,  governors  of  N.  Y.  and  Mass.,  renew  the 

treaty  with  the  Five  Nations. 

1694.  William  III.  decides  that  the  ordinary  control  of  the  militia  in 
Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  belongs  to  their  governments. 
Penn,  having  established  his  innocence,  is  restored  by  royal 
patent  as  proprietary  of  Pennsylvania  (Aug.). 

1694.  Nicholson  is  made  governor  of  Maryland  in  place  of  Copley  ; 
the  seat  of  government  is  removed  from  St.  Marys  to  Provi 
dence  (thenceforth  called  Annapolis). 

1694.  The  proprietaries  appoint  John  Archdale  (a  Quaker.)  governor 
of  Southern  Carolina  ;  he  governs  with  wise  liberality  so  that 
Scotch  and  other  settlers  are  attracted  thither. 

1694.  Queen  Mary  dies  (28  Dec.) ;  William  III.  becomes  sole  monarch. 

1695.  Penn  makes  Markham  deputy-governor  of  Pennsylvania  and 

Delaware  (Mar.) ;  the  assembly  refuses  supplies  till  its  privi 
leges  are  granted  (Sep.) ;  Markham  dissolves  it. 

1695.  The  English  Council  of  Trade  and  Plantations  is  re-established. 
(It  was  finally  abolished  1782.)  All  colonies  north  of  Carolina 
are  directed  to  furnish  quotas  for  the  defence  of  New  York  or 
for  an  attack  on  Canada  ;  Maryland  and  other  provinces  con 
sent,  but  some  openly  disregard  the  ordinance,  and  it  is  never 
enforced.  The  attainder  of  Leisler  and  Milborne  is  reversed 
by  an  Act  of  the  British  Parliament, 


History  of  the   tfnttea  states.  5J 

1695.  A  Public  Post  is  established  to  send  letters  between  Philadel 
phia  and  the  Potomac  eight  times  a  year/ 

1695.  Rasles  returns  from  Illinois  to  the  Kennebec,  Maine. 

1696.  The  French  make  their  last  invasion  against  the  Five  Nations 

in  Western  N.  Y. ,  and  return  to  Montreal.  D'Iberville  and 
St.  Castin  capture  Fort  Pemaquid  (Bristol),  Maine  (Aug.). 

1696.  New  England  men  emigrate  to  Southern  Carolina,  attracted  by 
its  prosperity  under  Archdale.  He  returns  to  England,  and 
John  Blake  is  appointed  his  successor. 

1696.  The  Pennsylvania-Delaware  assembly  establishes  a  popular 
government. 

1696.  Colonial  affairs  are  entrusted  to  the  Board  of  Trade  and  Plan 
tations. 

1696.  Don  Andres  de  Arriola,  with  300  Spaniards  from  Vera  Cruz, 

builds  a  fort,  church,  and  some  houses  atPensacola  Bay,  Fla. 

1697.  Hannah  Dustin,  of  Haverhill,  Mass.,  and  her  nurse  and  a  boy, 

being  taken  prisoners  to  Concord  by  the  Indians,  kill  10  of 
them  at  night  and  escape  in  a  canoe  (Mar.). 

1697.  The  assembly  of  Southern  Carolina,  enfranchises  the  Hugue 
nots  ;  all  Christians  are  tolerated  except  Papists. 

1697.  Penn  proposes  to  the  Board  of  Trade  an  annual  congress  of 
20  members,  chosen  by  the  colonial  legislatures,  to  regulate 
commerce  ;  the  proposal  falls  through. 

1697.  The  Peace  of  Ryswick  signed  between  England  and  France 

(20  Scp.). 

1698.  The  New  York  assembly  is  confirmed  by  Act  of  Parliament. 

The  Earl  of  Bellamont  arrives  in  New  York(Ap.)  as  governor 
of  all  New  York  and  New  England,  except  Connecticut  and 
Rhode  Island ;  he  administers  well ;  the  Acts  of  Trade  are 
evaded. 

1698.  In  East  New  Jersey  a  strife  about  land-titles  and  quit-rents 
arises  between  the  proprietaries  and  the  assembly  ;  the  Lords 
of  Trade  claim  New  Jersey  as  a  royal  province,  and  the  pro 
prietaries  resolve  to  resign  their  claims  to  jurisdiction. 

1698.  A  branch  of  the  Shawnees  from  Carolina,  offended  at  the 
French,  settles  at  Conestogo  (Lancaster  Co.,  Pa.) ;  others 
follow. 

1698.  Louis  XIV.  grants  to  Lemoine  D'Iberville  a  commission  to  es 

tablish  direct  intercourse  between  France  and  Louisiana  ;  he 
sails  with  4  ships,  200  emigrants,  and  a  company  of  marines, 
for  the  Mississippi  (17  Oct.). 

1699.  He  arrives  off  Florida  (Jan.);  erects  huts  on  Ship  Island  (Miss.); 

discovers  the  Pascagoula  River  (Feb.) ;  enters  the  Mississippi 
(2  Mar.),  finds  a  letter  written  in  1684  by  Tonti  to  La  Salle 
safely  preserved  by  the  Indians  ;  returns  to  the  Gulf  and 
founds  Biloxi  (May),  and  thus  begins  the  State  of  Mississippi. 
He  returns  to  France,  leaving  his  brothers  Sauvolle  and  Bien- 
ville  in  command.  Bienville  explores  the  forks  of  the  Missis 
sippi,  and  descending  the  river  (Sep.)  meets  at  a  point  since 
called  "English  Turn"  an  English  ship  of  16  guns,  which, 
finding  the  French  in  prior  occupation,  turns  back. 
Gabriel  Marest,  a  Jesuit  from  Canada,  joins  the  French  mis 
sion  at  Kaskaskia  (111.). 
}§9$.  New  Hampshire  witnesses  scenes  of  confusion  for  years, 


52  History  of  the   United  States, 

1699.     Penn  returns  to  Pennsylvania  (Nov.). 

1699.  Bellamont  arrests  Captain  Kid  at  Boston,  for  piracy,  and  sends 

him  to  England. 

1700.  D'Iberville  returns  to  the  Mississippi  and  erects  a  fort  near  its 

mouth  (Jan.),  which  is  soon  abandoned.  Tonti  abandons 
Rock  Fort  (111.)  and  descends  the  Mississippi  (Feb.)  with  20 
Canadians.  D'Iberville,  after  selecting  a  site  for  Fort  Rosalie 
(now  Natchez),  returns  to  France.  Le  Sueur  ascends  the  Mis 
sissippi  (Ap.)  and  the  St.  Peter's  (now  the  Minnesota)  as  far 
as  the  confluence  of  the  Blue  Earth. 

1700.  Peace  is  ratified  at  Montreal  between  the  French  and  the  Five 
Nations,  except  the  Mohawks. 

1700.  The  New  York  assembly  passes  a  law  for  hanging  every  Po 
pish  priest  who  comes  into  the  province — an  outcome  of  the 
intensity  of  the  feeling  of  the  colonists  against  the  Jesuits  for 
inciting  the  Indians  to  war. 

1700.  Pennsylvania  surrenders  its  constitution,  and  the  people  are 
authorized  to  frame  another.  Penn  receives  the  Shawnees  at 
Conestogo  as  part  of  the  people  of  Pennsylvania,  and  they 
scatter  along  the  upper  branches  of  the  Susquehannah  and 
Delaware ;  his  attempt  to  legalize  marriage  among  negro 
slaves  is  defeated  ;  he  grants  a  charter  to  Philadelphia  (25 
Oct.). 

1700.  Yale  College  founded  at  Saybrook,  Conn.  (11  Nov.) ;  chartered 

(9  Oct.,  1701). 

1701  The  seat  of  government  in  Connecticut  is  settled  to  be  at  Hart 
ford  and  New  Haven  alternately,  an  arrangement  which  con 
tinued  till  1873. 

1701.  The  Lords  of  Trade  declare  that  "the  independency  the  colo 

nies  thirst  after  is  now  notorious,"  and  a  Bill  is  introduced 
into  the  House  of  Commons  to  abrogate  all  the  colonial 
charters  (June). 

1701.  La  Motte  Cadillac,  with  100  French,  founds  Detroit  (June), 
and  erects  a  fort. 

1701.  James  II.  dies  at  St.  Germain,  in  France  (6  Aug.) ;  Louis  XIV. 
recognizes  his  son,  the  Pretender,  as  king  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland. 

1701.  Strife  takes  place  in  the  Pennsylvania-Delaware  assembly  be 
tween  the  delegates  of  the  two  sections  (Aug.) ;  the  assembly 
perfects  the  constitution  ;  Penn  provides  for  the  separation 
of  the  two  provinces,  and  goes  to  England  to  prevent  the 
threatened  abrogation  of  the  colonial  charters. 

1701.  Boston  instructs  its  representatives  ''to  put  a  period  to  negroes 
being  slaves."  Governor  Bellamont  dies. 

1701.  Bilious  fever  kills  many  French  at  Biloxi ;  Sauvolle  dies,  leav 

ing  Bienville  in  command  ;  Le  Sueur  returns  from  the  Upper 
Mississippi  with  copper  ore  ;  D'Iberville  arrives  with  fresh 
colonists  and  finds  only  150  alive. 

1702.  The  chief  French  fort  in  Louisiana  is  transferred  from  Biloxi 

to  Mobile,  the  first  European  settlement  in  Alabama  ;  D'Iber 
ville  leaves,  his  health  being  broken  by  yellow  fever,  and 
only  about  80  families  remain  in  Louisiana. 

1702.  William  III.  dies  (8  Mar.) ;  Anne  succeeds.  England  declares 
war  against  France  and  Spain  (15  May),  the  "War  of  the 


History  of  the   United  States. 

Spanish  Succession  ; "  ft,  lasts  till  1713.  Lord  Cornbury  is 
made  governor  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey  as  successor  to 
Bellamont ;  he  is  instructed  "  to  give  due  encouragement  to 
merchants,  and  in  particular  to  the  royal  African  Co.  of  Eng 
land,"  the  principal  slave-trading  company.  Joseph  Dudley 
is  made  governor  of  Massachusetts  ;  he  holds  office  till  1715. 

1702.  The  proprietaries  surrender  East  New  Jersey  to  the  Crown,  and 
the  two  New  Jerseys  are  united  into  one  royal  province  with 
a  despotic  constitution,  under  Lord  Cornbury  as  governor. 

1702.  The  Maryland  assembly  establishes  episcopacy,  but  adopts  the 
English  Acts  of  Toleration ;  only  Roman  Catholics  are  ex 
posed  to  persecution. 

1702.  Pennsylvania  convenes  a  legislature  separate  from  Delaware  ; 
the  two  provinces  are  never  reunited,  but  they  have  the 
same  governor  till  1782. 

1702.  James  Moore,  governor  of  Southern  Carolina,  makes  an  unsuc 
cessful  attack  on  Fort  St.  Augustine,  Fla.  (Sep.);  the  prov 
ince  issues  Bills  of  Credit  for  £6000,  the  first  fruits  of  the 
war  being  debt  and  paper-money. 

1702.  French  Canadians  descend  the  Wabash,  and  found  an  Indian 

mission  on  the  present  site  of  Vincennes  (Ind.). 

1703.  The  New  York  assembly  grants  £1500  to  fortify  the  Narrows 

(Ap.),  which  Lord  Cornbury  embezzles. 

1703.  The  Abenakis  meet  Dudley,  governor  of  Massachusetts,  at 
Casco  (June),  and  profess  neutrality,  but  war  breaks  out  in 
six  weeks,  and  the  French  and  Indians  attack  every  garrison 
from  Casco  to  Wells. 

1703.  Northern  Carolina,  70  years  after  its  settlement,  is  still  almost 

without  a  government  or  religion  ;  the  first  permanent  clergy 
man  is  appointed  this  year. 

1704.  The  proprietaries  instruct  Robert  Daniel,  governor  of  Northern 

Carolina,  to  establish  the  Church  of  England  ;  the  legislature 
accedes,  and  prescribes  an  official  oath  ;  these  laws  cannot  be 
enforced,  the  Quakers  being  foremost  in  opposition. 

1704.  The  Indians,  under  Hertel  de  Rouville,  burn  Deerfield,  Mass., 
kill  47,  and  take  112  prisoners  (1  Mar. ). 

1704.  The  Boston  News-Letter,  the  earliest  newspaper  in  America, 
first  published  (24  Ap.). 

1704.  Lord  Cornbury  governs  New  York  and  New  Jersey  despoti 
cally  ;  prevents  ministers  preaching  without  a  license  ;  dis 
solves  the  N.  J.  assembly  twice  before  1707,  and  the  N.  Y. 
assembly  twice  before  Aug.,  1708. 

1704.  The  High  Church  party  in  Southern  Carolina  obtains  political 

power,  and  disfranchises  dissenters  (two-thirds  of  the  popula 
tion),  who,  being  refused  justice  by  the  proprietaries,  appeal 
to  the  House  of  Lords. 

1705.  A  force  from  Massachusetts  burns  Rasles's  Indian  settlement 

at  Norridgewock,  Me. 

1705.  In  Northern  Carolina  the  first  church  is  erected  ;  the  governor 
ship  becomes  vacant ;  anarchy  supervenes,  with  dissensions 
between  Quakers  and  other  dissenters,  on  the  one  side,  and 
churchmen  and  royalists  on  the  other. 

1705.  Moore,  governor  of  Southern  Carolina,  traverses  Georgia,  and 
defeats  the  Spaniards  and  Indians  (15  Dec.)  on  the  Gulf  (near 


54  Jtfso*ry  of  the  United  State*. 

St.  Mark's,  Fla.),  thus  separating  the  Spaniards  at  St.  Augus 
tine  from  their  allies,  the  French,  in  Louisiana,  and  estab 
lishing  Britain's  claim  to  Georgia. 

1706.     D'Iberville  dies  at  Havana. 

1706.  A  French  squadron  attacks  Charleston  (S.  C.),  but  is  beaten  off 
with  a  loss  of  300  killed  or  taken. 

1706.  The  Lords  of  Trade  and  Plantations,  on  an  address  from  the 

House  of  Lords  to  the  Queen,  declare  that  the  proprietaries 
of  Carolina  have  forfeited  their  charter,  and  the  intolerant 
acts  of  the  assembly  of  Southern  Carolina  are  declared  void  ; 
the  assembly  repeals  them  (Nov.),  but  establishes  the  Church 
of  England.  The  colony  swarms  with  negro  slaves  ;  Carolina 
rice  is  now  the  best  in  the  world  ;  a  large  fur-trade  is  done 
with  the  interior,  traders  penetrating  1000  miles  inland. 

1707.  The  assembly  of  New  Jersey  accuses  Lord  Cornbury  of  accept 

ing  bribes  (Ap.),  and  rebukes  his  despotism. 

1707.  At  the  instance  of  Governor  Dudley,  a  fleet  from  Boston  at 

tempts  to  capture  Port  Royal,  N.  S.  ;  it  is  unsuccessful,  and 
the  failure  produces  debt,  paper-money,  and  discontent. 

1708.  A  committee  of  the  House  of  Commons  reports  that  "  the  slave- 

trade  is  important,  and  ought  to  be  free." 

1708.  The  New  York  assembly  asserts  its  rights  (Aug.) ;  Lord  Corn- 

bury  submits  to  its  reproof ;  he  is  removed  from  office  and 
Lord  Lovelace  is  appointed  his  successor. 

1709.  Lovelace  demands  a  permanent  revenue  ;  the  assembly  will 

grant  only  an  annual  one. 

1709.  The  French  and  Algonquins,  under  Des  Chaillons  and  Hertel 

de  Rouville,  destroy  Haverhill,  Mass.  (30  Aug.) ;  Samuel  Ayer 
rescues  several  captives ;  bounties  of  from  £10  to  £50  are 
offered  for  Indian  scalps.  New  York,  Connecticut,  and  New 
Jersey  first  issue  Bills  of  Credit  to  cover  war  expenses. 

1710.  Col.  Spotsnvood  is  made  governor  of  Virginia,  in  place  of  Nott. 
1710.     Robert  Hunter,  successor  to   Lovelace  as  governor  of  New 

York  and  New  Jersey,  arrives  in  New  York  (May) ;  he  tries 
for  three  years  to  carry  out  the  instructions  of  the  Lords  of 
TVade  in  opposition  to  the  colonists,  and  finally  adopts  a  pol 
icy  of  concession. 

1710.  The  proprietaries  send  Edward  Hyde  to  Northern  Carolina  as 
governor  in  place  of  Gary,  who  then  incites  a  rebellion,  and 
attacks  Edenton,  but  is  repulsed ;  affairs  grow  worse,  and 
Hyde  summons  Spotswood,  governor  of  Virginia,  to  his  aid. 

1710.     The  population  of  Maryland  is  over  30,000,  including  negroes. 

1710.     The  English  South  Sea  Co.  is  incorporated. 

1710.  A  colonial  and  English  fleet,  under  Nicholson,  sails  from  Bos 

ton  (Sep.),  and  captures  Port  Royal,  Acadia,  and  changes  its 
name  to  Annapolis,  in  honor  of  the  queen. 

1711  A  committee  of  the  House  of  Commons  reports  that  "the 
plantations  ought  to  be  supplied  with  negroes  at  reasonable 
rates,"  and  recommends  the  increase  of  the  trade. 

1711.  A  French  fort  is  established  at  Mobile. 

1711.     Yale  College  is  removed  from  Saybrook  to  New  Haven,  Conn. 

1711.  An  Anglo-colonial  expedition  of  15  ships,  40  transports,  and 
10,000  or  12,000  men,  under  Sir  Hovenden  Walker  and  Hill, 
leaves  Boston  (30  July)  for  Quebec  for  the  conquest  of  Can- 


History  of  the    United  States.  55 

ada  ;  through  mismanagement,  8  ships  are  wrecked  (22  Aug.) 
on  Egg  Islands,  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  884 
men  being  drowned,  and  the  expedition  returns. 

1711.  The  rebellion  in  Northern  Carolina  is  suppressed  with  the  aid 

of  regular  troops  from  Virginia.  The  proprietaries  assign 
lands  of  the  Tuscaroras  in  Northern  Carolina  to  Swiss  and 
German  fugitives  (Palatines)  from  the  Neckar  and  Rhine  ; 
the  Swiss  found  New  Berne,  on  the  Neuse  ;  De  Graff  ended, 
agent  for  the  exiles,  and  Lawson  are  captured  by  the  Indians 
on  the  Neuse  (Sep.) ;  Lawson  is  burnt,  De  Graff enried  is 
allowed  to  return  after  5  wreeks  ;  Tuscaroras  and  Corees  mas 
sacre  the  Huguenots  at  Bath,  on  Pamlico  Sound,  and  destroy 
and  massacre  at  other  settlements  on  the  Roanoke,  and  on 
Pamlico  and  Albemarle  Sounds  (22-25  Sep.) ;  Barn  well,  from 
Southern  Carolina,  unsuccessfully  besieges  the  Indian  fort  on 
the  Neuse  (now  Craven  Co.),  and  peace  is  signed  ;  the  troops 
from  Southern  Carolina  violate  the  treaty,  and  the  massacres 
on  the  Neuse  are  renewed. 

1712.  Yellowr  fever  rages  in  Northern  Carolina  ;  Spotswood,  gover 

nor  of  Virginia,  succeeds  in  dividing  the  Tuscaroras. 

1712.     The  Indians  besiege  Detroit,  but  are  repulsed  by  the  French. 

1712.  To  a  petition  to  emancipate  the  negroes,  the  Pennsylvania 
assembly  replies  that  "it  was  neither  just  nor  convenient  to 
set  them  at  liberty."  Southern  Carolina,  following  the  ex 
ample  set  by  Virginia  in  1667,  removes  an  obstacle  to  the 
conversion  of  negroes  by  resolving  that  baptism  is  not  in 
consistent  with  slavery.  Queen  Anne  boasts,  in  a  speech  to 
Parliament,  of  success  in  securing  to  England,  through  the 
promised  assignment  of  the  Assiento,  a  new  slave-market  in 
Spanish  America  (June). 

1712.  Louis  XIV.    grants  to   Antoine   Crozat  a  monopoly    of  the 

Louisiana  trade  (Sep.) ;  La  Motte  Cadillac,  who  supersedes 
Bienville  as  governor,  becomes  his  partner,  Bienville  being 
retained  as  lieut. -governor.  There  are  only  28  French  fam 
ilies  in  the  whole  colony. 

1713.  Moore,   governor  of  Southern   Carolina,  arrives  in  Northern 

Carolina,  and  captures  an  Indian  fort  on  the  Neuse  (in  Green 
Co.)  with  800  prisoners  (Mar.) ;  the  assembty  of  Northern 
Carolina,  under  a  new  governor,  issues  Bills  of  Credit  for 
£8000  (May) ;  the  Indians  are  chased  to  the  swamps  of  Hyde 
.  Co.,  and  the  prisoners  are  sold  as  slaves.  The  hostile  part  of 
the  Tuscaroras  migrate  to  N.  Y. ,  and  are  received  by  the 
Five  Nations  as  a  sixth. 

1713.  The  Peace  of  Utrecht  is  signed  between  England,  France,  and 
Spain  (11  Ap.) ;  France  cedes  to  Britain  Acadia,  Hudson 
Bay  and  its  borders,  and  Newfoundland,  and  admits  Britain's 
supremacy  in  the  American  fisheries  ;  the  Assiento  Treaty  is 
transferred  to  England,  which  undertakes  to  carry  to  "the 
Spanish  West  Indies  4800  negroes  a  year  for  30  years,  paying 
on  4000  a  duty  of  $33.33  per  headland  for  all  over  4000  a 
duty  of  $16.67  a  head ;  during  the  30  years  not  far  from 
30,000  are  taken  from  Africa  by  the  English  annually,  as 
against  15,000  a  year  for  the  previous  20  years.  The  popu 
lation  of  the  English  colonies  is  about  40t),000.  Soon  after 


66  JfiAtory  o    the    United 


the  surrender  of  Acadia,  the  French  occupy  Cape  Breton  as  a 

French  possession.  • 

1718.     The  new  officers  of  Louisiana  land  at  Dauphine  Island,  Ala. 

(May)  ;  the  Spaniards  prohibit  all   trade   with  Florida  and 

Mexico. 

1718.     The  seamen  of  Connecticut  do  not  number  over  120. 
1714.     The  expenditure  in  Northern   Carolina  is   £900  a  year  ;  the 

revenue  from  land-sales  and  quit-rents  is  only  £169,  or  about 

£21  for  each  proprietarj^. 
1714.     The  French  build  and  garrison  Fort  Toulouse,  at  the  junction 

of  the  Coosa  and  Tallapoosa,  Ala.     The  Choctas,  incited  by 

Bienville,  drive  the  English  from  the  Chocta  villages  on  the 

Tombecbee,  Ala. 
1714.     Queen  Anne  dies  (1  Aug.)  ;  George  I.  succeeds. 

1714.  The  population  of  the  American  colonies  is  about  435,000. 

1715.  The  Yamassees,  incited  by  the  Spaniards,  massacre  90  colo 

nists  (15  Ap.)  at  Pocotaligo  (S.  C.)  and  threaten  Charleston  ; 
but  the  colonists,  under  Charles  Craven,  the  governor,  defeat 
them  on  the  Salke-hatchie,  and  they  retire  to  Florida  ;  South 
ern  Carolina  had  lost  about  400  inhabitants.  The  war  and 
the  neglect  and  arbitrary  conduct  of  the  proprietaries  lead 
to  a  revolution,  and  the  colonists  determine  to  govern  them 
selves. 

1715.  The  Indian  allies  of  the  Tuscaroras  are  established  as  a  single 
settlement  in  Hyde  Co.  (N.  C.);  the  laws  of  the  first  assembly 
of  Northern  Carolina,  passed  in  1669,  are  re-enacted. 

1715.  Maryland  is  restored  to  the  proprietary  ;  its  staple  is  tobacco, 
with  hemp  and  flax  ;  linen  and  woollen  manufactures  are 
attempted;  it  has  more  white  "servants"  than  any  other 
province  ;  their  price  is  from  £12  to  £30  each.  The  assembly, 
in  imitation  of  Virginia  and  Southern  Carolina,  enacts  that 
baptism  is  not  inconsistent  with  slavery. 

.715.  The  proprietaries  of  New  Hampshire  abandon  their  claim  to 
the  province  in  despair  ;  the  colonists  gain  their  lands  ;  the 
waste  domain  reverts  to  the  Crown. 

1715.     Louis  XIV.  dies  (1  Sep.)  ;  Louis  XV.  succeeds. 

1715.  The  Marquis  de  Aguayo  is  made  governor-general  of  the  New 

Philippines,  as  the  Spanish  colonies  in  Texas  were  then 
called. 

1716.  Bienville  chants  the  calumet  with  the  Natchez,  and  founds 

Fort  Rosalie  (now  Natchez,  Miss.). 

1716.  A  Public  Bank  is  established  in  Massachusetts.    Samuel  Street 

is  appointed  governor  of  the  province  ;  the  General  Court  ex- 
extends  its  jurisdiction  over  Maine  as  far  as  the  St.  Croix, 
and  restores  Fort  Pemaquid  (Bristol),  east  of  the  Kennebec. 
The  Abenalds  had  claimed  the  territory  between  the  St.  Croix 
and  the  Kennebec,  on  which  river  Rasles  had  gathered  a  vil 
lage  of  converts  (Norridgewock),  and  being  alarmed  at  the 
claim  of  Massachusetts,  apply  to  Vaudreuil,  governor  of 
Canada,  who  tells  them  the  treaty  (of  Utrecht)  says  nothing 
about  their  lands,  whereupon  they  resist  the  claim  of  Massa 
chusetts. 

1717.  Massachusetts  fails  in  an  attempt  to  establish  an  Indian  mis 

sion  in  Maine,  to  rival  that  of  Rasles. 


History  of  the   United  States.  57 

1717.  A  proposal  is  made  in  England  to  plant  a  new  colony  south  of 
Carolina.  « 

1717.  Crozat  surrenders  the  charter  of  Louisiana,  and  the  territory  is 

transferred  (Sep.)  to  John  Law's  Mississippi  Co.,  "  the  Com 
pany  of  the  West,"  for  trading  with  the  Mississippi,  China, 
and  India  ;  the  colony  numbers  only  700,  including  the  French 
troops  and  the  negroes. 

1718.  Bienville  is  made  governor  of  Louisiana,  in  place  of  Cadillac  ; 

he  selects  the  site  of  New  Orleans  (June) ;  the  Mississippi  Co. 
sends  out  a  colony  of  800  emigrants,  which  anchors  at  Dau- 
phine  Island  (35  Aug.),  enters  the  Mississippi,  and  founds  New 
Orleans.  After  3  years  the  settlement  has  only  200  inhab 
itants  encamped  among  the  cane-brakes. 

1718.  War  is  declared  between  France  and  Spain  ;  it  lasts  till  1721. 

1719.  De  Serigny,  from  France,  captures  Fort  Pensacola,  Fla.  (May) ; 

the  Spaniards  recover  it  within  40  days,  and  attack  the 
French  posts  on  Dauphine  Island  and  at  Mobile  ;  the  French 
recapture  Fort  Pensacola  (Sep.);  La  Harpe  claims  Texas  as  a 
part  of  Louisiana. 

1719.     The  capital  of  the  South  Sea  Co.  is  increased. 

1719.  Hunter,  governor  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  returns  to 
England  ;  his  authority  devolves  on  Peter  Schuyler. 

1719.     The  first  newspaper  in  Philadelphia  is  started. 

1719.  The  revolution  in  Southern  Carolina,  impending  since  1715, 

takes  place  (Nov.) ;  the  assembly  resolves  to  have  nothing 
more  to  do  with  the  proprietaries,  asks  Robert  Johnson,  the 

fovernor,  to  hold  office  for  the  king,  and  on  his  refusal,  elects 
ames  Moore  governor,    and   dismisses   the  officers  acting 
under  the  ' '  Grand  Model "  constitution. 

1720.  The  Lords  of  the  Regency  declare  that  the  proprietaries  of 

Carolina  have  forfeited  their  charter,  and  Francis  Nicholson 

(ex-governor  of  Virginia,  etc.)  is  appointed  provisional  royal 

governor  of  Southern  Carolina. 
1720.     William  Burnet,  a  son  of  Bishop  Burnet.  is  made  governor  of 

New  York  and  New  Jersey,  in  place  of  Hunter. 

1720.     The  suggestion  to  plant  a  colony  south  of  Carolina  is  revived. 
1720.     A  Congregational  Church  is  founded  at  Newport,  R.  I. 
1720.     The  French  begin  to  erect  Fort  Louisburg,  Cape  Breton. 
1720.     The  South  Sea  and  Mississippi  Bubble  Co.s  burst,  and  produce 

widespread  ruin. 

1720.  Jamaica  becomes  the  centre  of  a  large  smuggling  trade  with 

the  Spanish  colonies. 

1721.  Nicholson's  first  act  in  Southern  Carolina  is  to  make  peace 

with  the  Cherokees  and  Creeks  ;  the  hunting-grounds  of  the 
latter  are  agreed  to  extend  north  to  the  Savannah  ;  the  Eng 
lish  maintain  a  fort  at  the  forks  of  the  Alatamaha  (Ga.)  ;  the 
Spaniards  protest. 

1721.  Joncaire  and  a  party  of  Frenchmen  (including  a  son  of  De 
Longueil,  governor  of  Canada)  attempt  a  settlement  at 
Lewiston,  N.  Y.  (May).  Peace  between  France  and  Spain  ; 
Fort  Pensacola  reverts  to  Spain  ;  Bienville  removes  the 
French  headquarters  from  New  Orleans  back  to  Biloxi. 

1721.  Several  M.  P.s  in  England  are  expelled  for  having  been  mem 
bers  of  the  South  Sea  Co. 


ftfc  History  of  the   fin-tied  States. 

1721.  Bernard  de  la  Harpe  attempts  to  plant  a  French  colony  near 
Matagorda  Bay,  Texas,  about  this  date  ;  the  Spaniards  erect  a 
fort  as  evidence  of  their  claim.  a 

1721.  Virginia,  dismayed  at  the  increase  of  negroes,  imposes  a  tax 
on  their  importation  about  this  date. 

1721.  The  government  of  Massachusetts  having  seized  several  Abe 

naki  chiefs  in  Maine  as  hostages,  the  Abenakis  demand  that 
their  territory  shall  be  evacuated,  and  the  chiefs  restored  ;  the 
colonists,  however,  also  seize  the  young  Baron  St.  Castin, 
a  half-breed.  The  Courant  is  started  in  Boston  by  James 
Franklin,  an  elder  brother  of  Benjamin  (Aug.). 

1722.  Burnet,  governor  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  establishes  a 

commercial  post  at  Oswego.     Daniel  Coxe,  of  New  Jersey, 

broaches  a  plan  similar  to  Penn's  in  1697,  to  hold  a  colonial 

congress  to  regulate  commerce. 
1722.     The  governors  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  make  a  treaty 

with  the  Iroquois  at  Albany. 
1722.     The  first  court-house  is  erected  in  Northern  Carolina. 

1722.  Westbrook  attacks  Norridgewock,  Me.  (Jan.),  and,  the  Indians 

being  absent,  seizes  Rasles's  papers,  including  his  dictionary 
of  the  Abenaki  language  (now  in  the  library  of  Harvard). 
The  Indians  retaliate  by  burning*  Brunswick,  Me. ;  the  Massa 
chusetts  government  offers  £15  for  each  Indian  scalp,  after 
wards  £100,  and  formally  declares  war  against  the  Indians  of 
Maine  and  New  Hampshire  (July),  "  Lovewell's  War."  The 
Courant  gives  offence  to  the  clergy,  and  the  Council  of 
Massachusetts  resolves  to  appoint  a  censor  (July),  but  the 
General  Court  refuses  its  concurrence. 

1723.  Westbrook  burns  the  Indian  settlement  on  the  Penobscot  (9 

Mar.),  probably  at  Old  town  or  Orono,  above  Bangor  ;  the 
Indians  attack  Dover,  N.  H. 

1723.  Bienville  transfers  his  headquarters  back  to  New  Orleans 
(Aug.). 

1723.  James  Franklin  is  imprisoned  for  one  month  for  injuriously 

reflecting  on  the  clergy  in  the  Courant.  Benjamin  (17  years 
old)  leaves  Boston  (Oct.)  for  New  York,  but  not  finding  work 
goes  to  Philadelphia  and  establishes  a  printing-press. 

1724.  The  Indians  again  attack  Dover,  N.  H. ;  a  force  from  Massa 

chusetts  attacks  Norridgewock,  Maine  (23  Aug.),  Rasles  is 
killed,  and  the  influence  of  the  French  with  the  Maine  Indians 
is  destroyed.  The  Massachusetts  government  establishes  Foil 
Dummer,  on  the  Connecticut  (now  Brattleboro,  Vt.) ;  it  was 
supposed  to  be  within  the  limits  of  Massachusetts. 

1724.  The  Delawares  migrate  to  the  branches  of  the  Ohio  about  this 

date. 

1725.  The  New  York  Gazette,  a  weekly,  is  first  pubjished  ;  the  first 

newspaper  in  New  York. 

1725.  John  Love  well,  who  had   obtained   two  successes  over  the 

Maine  Indians,  falls  into  an  ambush  on  Battle  Brook,  near 
Lake  Love  well  (in  Fryeburg,  Me.),  and  is  killed  (6  May). 

1726.  Many  thousand  Germans  (Palatines)  had  settled  in  Pennsyl 

vania  prior  to  this  date. 

1726.  George  I.  "explains"  the  charter  of  Massachusetts;  his  act 
ip  held  to  require  the  assent  of  the  colony,  which  is  given,  * 


History  of  the   Ihnted  States.  59 

1726.  The  "  interfering  interest  of  the  African  Co."  obtains  the  re 
peal  of  the  Virginia  law  taxing  the  importation  of  negroes. 

1726.  The  Maine  Indians  make  peace,  and  the  eastern  boundary  of 
New  England  is  established  at  the  St.  Croix  (Aug.).  . 

1726.  The  French  build  Fort  Niagara.     Governor  Bui-net  makes  at 

Albany  a  treaty  with  the  Indians  (Sep.),  who  cede  to  him  a 
belt  of  land  60  miles  wide  south  of  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie, 
from  Oswego  to  Cleveland,  as  well  as  the  country  west  and 
north  of  Lake  Erie,  and  north  of  Lake  Ontario. 

1727.  George  I.  dies  (11  June) ;  George  n.  succeeds. 

1727.     The  population  of  the  American  colonies  is  about  600,000. 
1727.     Oswego  is  converted  into  a  fortress,  despite  the  protest  of  the 

French  and  the  discontent  of  the  Iroquois. 
1727.     Southern    Carolina  complains   of    "the  vast  importation  of 

negroes." 

1727.  The  Jesuit  Du  Poisson  ascends  the  Mississippi  to  the  site  se 

lected  for  Law's  plantation  among  the  southern  Dakotas. 

1728.  Burnet  is  transferred  from  the  governorship  of  New  York  and 

New  Jersey  to  that  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire  ;  he 
is  instructed  to  insist  on  the  grant  of  a  permanent  salary  ; 
the  colonists  refuse  it ;  will  only  grant  it  for  each  year. 

1728.  The  Shawnees  in  Pennsylvania"  gradually  follow  the  Dela- 
wares  to  the  branches  of  the  Ohio. 

1728.  Sir  William  Keith,  ex-governor  of  Pennsylvania,  suggests  to 
the  king  the  extension  of  the  stamp-duties  to  the  colonies  ; 
the  Commissioners  of  Trade  do  not  favor  the  idea  ;  Sir  R.  Wai- 
pole  opposes  it. 

1728.  James  Edward  Oglethprpe  rescues  debtors  from  English  prisons, 
and  plans  an  asylum"  for  them  and  for  persecuted  Protestants 
hi  America. 

1728.  Vitus  Behring,  a  Danish  navigator  in  the  service  of  Russia, 

passes  through  Behring' s  Straits  and  shows  Asia  to  be 
bounded  by  water  on  the  north-east. 

1729.  York  and  Talbot,   law  officers  of  the  Crown,   hold  that  an 

American  slave  does  not  become  free  by  touching  the  soil 
of  England.  George  II.  recommends  a  provision  for  the 
African  forts,  which  is  granted. 

1729.  Bishop  Berkeley  visits  America ;  endows  a  library  in  Rhode 
Island  ;  resides  at  Newport  for  2^  years  :  and  returns  to 
England  in  1731. 

1729.  Everard  is  made  royal  governor  of  Northern  Carolina  (July). 
Seven  cf  the  eight  proprietaries  of  Carolina  sell  to  the  Crown 
their  rights  for  £22,500  (Sep.) ;  Lord  Carteret  reserves  his  $  ; 
Carolina  is  permanently  divided  into  North  and  South  ; 
Johnson,  governor  of  South  Carolina,  is  directed  to  mark  out 
townships  as  far  south  as  the  Alatamaha  (Ga.). 

J729.  Chopart,  commander  at  Fort  Rosalie  (Natchez),  demands  the 
site  of  the  principal  village  of  Natchez  for  a  French  planta 
tion,  and  they  massacre  nearly  every  Frenchman  there  (28 
Nov.),  200  being  killed  ;  only  two  men  and  some  women  and 
children  are  spared  as  captives.  Du  Poisson,  the  missionary 
among  the  Arkansas,  on  going  to  Natchez,  is  also  murdered  ; 
the  Arkansas  vow  vengeance  against  the  Natchez.  The 
French  prepare  for  reprisals  ;  New  Orleans  is  fortified  ;  it 


60  History  of  the   United  States. 

contains  4000  French  and  2000  negroes;  Loubois  command 3 
the  French  forces  ;  Le  Sueur  obtains  a  force  of  700  Choctas. 

1780.  Le  Sueur  makes  a  successful  attack  on  the  Natchez  (29  Jan.); 
Lubois  completes  the  victory  (8  Feb.) ;  the  Natchez  take  ref 
uge  at  Natchitoches,  on  the  Red  River,  La.  New  Orleans 
is  made  the  capital  of  Louisiana. 

1730.  Sir  Alex.  Gumming,  special  envoy  for  North  Carolina,  makes 
at  Nequassee,  in  the  valley  of  the  Tennessee,  a  treaty  with  tho 
Cherokees  (Ap.) ;  Cherokee  chiefs  go  to  England,  sign  t, 
treaty,  and  are  presented  at  court ;  the  treaty  is  kept  for  one 
generation,  the  Cherokees  being  thus  made  a  barrier  against 
the  French  in  Louisiana. 

1730.  At  Joncaire's  invitation,  Shawnee  chiefs  go  with  him  to  Mon 

treal. 

1731.  The  French  establish  Fort  Frederick  ("the  Fortress  of  the 

Crown  ")  at  Crown  Point,  Lake  Champlain  ;  they  estrange  the 
Shawnees  from  the  English,  and  more  go  to  Montreal,  and 
their  warriors  put  themselves  wholly  under  the  protection  of 
Louis  XV. 

1731.  Massachusetts,  when  Governor  Belcher  opposes  its  will,  re 
fuses  to  vote  him  any  salary. 

1731.  A  site  is  chosen  for  a  Swiss  colony  in  South  Carolina,  on  the 
Savannah,  in  the  ancient  land  of  the  Yamassees. 

1731.  The  Natchez  are  attacked  by   the   French  at  Natchitoches, 

and  are  broken  up  and  destroyed. 

1732.  The  Great  Sun  (chief  of  the  Natchez)  and  over  400  other  cap 

tives  are  shipped  to  Hispaniola  and  sold  as  slaves ;  the 
French  "  Company  of  the  West"  surrenders  Louisiana  to  the 
Crown  (10  Ap.). 

1732.     George  Washington  born  (22  Feb.,  O.  S.). 

1732.  The  first  stage-route  between  New  York  and  Philadelphia  is 
established.  There  are  monthly  stages  between  New  York 
and  Boston,  taking  a  fortnight  on  the  road. 

1732.  The  decision  (in  1685)  of  the  Committee  of  Trade  and  Planta 
tions,  that  Delaware  was  not  a  part  of  Maryland,  forms  the 
basis  of  an  agreement  between  the  heirs  of  the  two  proper 
ties. 

1732.     William  Cosby  is  made  governor  of  New  York. 

1732.     The  valley  of  Virginia  first  receives  white  inhabitants. 

1732.  Vincennes  founds  Vincennes,  the  first  European  settlement  in 

Indiana;  an  Indian  mission  had  existed  there  since  1702. 
1782.  George  II.  grants  to  Oglethorpe  and  20  others  a  charter  for  21 
years  (9  June),  erecting  the  country  between  the  Savannah 
and  the  Alatamaha,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  into 
the  province  of  Georgia,  "in  trust  for  the  poor,"  to  be  open 
to  Jews  but  not  Papists ;  the  government  is  given  to  trus 
tees  ;  Shaftesbury  is  head  of  the  council,  but  the  most  influ 
ential  member  is  Oglethorpe,  who  sails  from  England  with 
about  120  emigrants  (Nov.). 

1733.  Oglethorpe  arrives  at  Charleston,  S.  C.  (Jan.);  lands  his  col 

ony  temporarily  at  Beaufort,  S.  C. ;  selects  the  site  of  Savan 
nah,  Ga.,  where  the  colonists  arrive  (12  Feb.,  N.  S.) ;  they 
make  a  treaty  of  alliance  with  the  Muskhogees  (1  June); 
claim  sovereignty  over  the  lands  of  the  Creeks  as  far  south 


History  of  tl>r   I'niied  States.  61 

as  the  St.  John's  River,  Ma. ;  and  establish  friendly  relations 
with  the  Cherokees.     Oglethorpe  prohibits  negro  slavery. 
1733.     Cosby,  governor  of  New  York,  having  insisted  on  new  grants 
of  lands  being  taken  out  instead  of  the  old,  John  Peter  Zeuger 
establishes  a  newspaper  to  defend  the  popular  cause. 

1733.  An  Imperial  Act  imposes  duties  on  rum,  sugar,  and  molasses 

imported  from  foreign  countries  into  any  British  plantation. 

1734.  At  the  invitation  of  the  English  Society  for  Propagating  the 

Gospel,  a  colony  of  Moravians  from  Salzburg,  in  Austria, 
sails  from  Dover  (Jan.)  for  Georgia,  and  founds  Ebenezer, 
near  Savannah  :  in  a  few  years  this  colony  produces  £10,000 
worth  of  raw  silk;  also  indigo.  Augusta  is  founded  ;  at  the  pro 
posal  of  the  Choctas,  trade  is  established  between  them  and 
Georgia  ;  Oglethorpe  returns  to  England  (Ap.),  taking  Tomo- 
chichi,  the  Yamacraw  chief,  and  other  Creeks.  Discontent 
arises  in  the  colony  regarding  the  limitation  of  the  settlers' 
lands  in  tail  male. 

1734.  John  Sergeant,  a  Yale  graduate,  goes  as  a  missionary  among 
the  Stockbridge  Indians  in  Western  Massachusetts  ;  he  label's 
tiU  1749. 

1734.  Zenger  is  indicted  by  the  New  York  government  for  seditious 
libel  (Nov.),  is  defended  by  Andrew  Hamilton,  and  acquitted  ; 
the  trial  is  deemed  the  morning-star  of  the  American  revolu 
tion. 

1734.  Von  Reck,  a  German  traveller,  estimates  the  negroes  in  South 
Carolina  at  30,000,  and  the  annual  importation  at  nearly 
3000  ;  the  latter  figure,  at  least,  is  a  gross  exaggeration. 

1734.  A  colony  from  the  Scotch  Highlands  is  established  on  Alata- 

maha  Sound,  Ga.  (Darien). 

1735.  A  dispute  as  to  the  boundaries  of  Maryland  and  Delaware  is 

taken  into  the  English  Court  of  Chancery. 

1735.  Bienville  returns  to  Louisiana  as  royal  governor. 

1736.  Oglethorpe  lands  in  Georgia  with  300  emigrants  (F*eb.),    in 

cluding  some  Moravians,  also  Charles  Wesley  as  his  secre 
tary,  and  John  Wesley  as  apostle  to  the  Indians ;  the  Wes- 
leys  remain  two  years.  Oglethorpe  sends  envoys  to  St. 
Augustine  to  negotiate  as  to  the  English  and  Spanish  bound 
aries  (Feb.) ;  he  founds  Frederica,  on  St.  Simon's  Island,  10 
miles  from  Darien,  and  begins  a  fort  there  ;  marks  out  a  site 
for  Fort  St.  Andrews  on  the  Cumberland  (St.  Mary's)  River 
(Camden  Co.) ;  and  plants  Fort  St.  George  on  the  St.  John's 
River,  Fla.  The  Spaniards  detain  his  envoys ;  he  claims 
their  liberty,  makes  war-alliances  with  the  Uchees  (May)  and 
other  Indians  ;  hostilities  are  avoided,  th#  envoys  are  liber 
ated,  Fort  St.  George  is  abandoned,  Fort  St.  Andrews  is 
maintained,  and  the  St.  Mary's  ultimately  became  the  bound 
ary.  Oglethorpe  goes  to  England  (Nov.)  to  prepare  for  the 
coming  conflict  with  Spain. 

1736.  The  French  begin  war  against  the  Chickasas.  Two  expedi 
tions,  one  from  Illinois,  under  D'Artaguette,  the  other  from 
New  Orleans,  under  Bienville,  are  directed  to  meet  on  10 
May,  in  the  Chickasa  country  (now  Lee  Co.,  Miss.) ;  D'Arta 
guette  arrives  9  May,  and  after  waiting  in  vain  for  ten  days, 
and  his  Indians  threatening  to  desert,  he  attacks  the  Chick- 


62  History  of  tlie   United  ft  totes, 

asas,  is  wounded,  and  his  Indians  flee  in  dismay ;  Voisin,  a 
boy  of  16,  conducts  the  retreat,  and  carries  off  some  wounded; 
the  captives,  including1  D'Artaguette,  Vincennes,  and  Father 
Senat,  are  tortured  and  burnt,  except  one  who  is  spared  to 
tell  the  tale.  Bienville's  expedition,  of  60  boats  and  pirogues, 
leaves  New  Orleans  for  Mobile ;  ascends  the  Tombecbee ; 
arrives  at  the  great  village  of  the  Chickasas  (26  May),  a  week 
after  D'Artaguette' s  defeat ;  attacks  it  and  is  repulsed  with 
a  loss  of  30  killed,  and  returns  to  Mobile.  The  Chickasas, 
flushed  with  victory,  send  a  deputation  of  30  warriors  to 
Georgia  (July),  and  make  an  alliance  with  Oglethorpe. 
1737.  A  royal  edict  of  France  permits  10  years'  free  commerce  be 
tween  Louisiana  and  the  West  India  Islands. 

1737.  George  Whitefield  visits  Georgia  (Dec.). 

1738.  He  returns  to  England  to  collect  funds  for  a  proposed  orphan 

asylum,  near  Savannah.  Oglethorpe  raises  a  regiment  in 
England,  returns  to  Georgia  (Sep.),  and  is  welcomed  at  Savan 
nah  with  salutes  and  bonfires ;  he  finds  the  walls  of  Fort 
Frederica  completed  ;  he  still  prohibits  negro  slavery. 
1738.  A  negro  insurrection  in  South  Carolina  is  suppressed  ;  the 
leaders  are  executed. 

1738.  The  paper  currency  in  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania, 

and  Maryland  is  worth  100  for  160,  170,  or  200  ;  that  of  New 
England,  1  for  5  ;  of  South  Carolina,  1  for  8  ;  of  North  Caro 
lina,  1  for  10. 

1739.  Oglethorpe  goes  to  Cusitas,  on  the  Chattahoochee,  Ga.,  and 

renews  his  alliance  with  the  Muskhogees ;  they  confirm  his 
Indian  title  to  the  coast  of  Georgia.  Whitefield  returns  to 
Georgia,  whence  he  goes  to  New  England  and  preaches  to 
20,000  people  on  Boston  Common. 

1739.  A  new  French  expedition  against  the  Chickasas,  with  aid 
from  Illinois,  Montreal,  Quebec,  and  France,  numbering  3600 
whites  and  Indians,  assembles  at  Fort  Assumption  (Mem 
phis)  in  June,  but  languishes  there  throug'h  the  summer  and 
autumn. 

1739.  England,  against  the  wish  of  Walpole,  declares  war  against 

Spain  (23  Oct.) ;  it  lasts  till  1748.  Anson  is  sent  to  the  Pacific ; 
Admiral  Vernon,  with  six  men-of-war,  captures  Porto  Bello 
(22  Nov.)  and  Chagre.  Oglethorpe  extends  the  boundary  of 
Georgia  to  the  St.  John's  River,  and  urges  on  South  Carolina 
(Dec.)  the  reduction  of  St.  Augustine. 

t740.  Bienville,  with  a  small  detachment  of  the  French  expedition, 
goes  towards  the  Chickasa  country  and  makes  peace  (Mar.) ; 
the  fort  at  Memphis  is  razed  ;  that  on  the  St.  Francis  (Ark.) 
is  dismantled  ;  the  remnant  of  the  troops  from  Illinois  and 
Canada  returns  ;  Bienville  goes  to  France  ;  and  the  Chickasas 
remain  masters  of  the  country  between  Illinois  and  Baton 
Rouge.  The  population  of  Louisiana  is  5000  whites  and  2500 
negroes. 

1740.  Oglethorpe,    with  a  force  of  1200  from  South  Carolina  and 

Georgia,  invades  Florida  ;  besieges  St.  Augustine  ineffectually 
for  5  weeks  (June-July) ;  and  returns  to  Frederica. 

1740.     Massachusetts  obtains  the  removal  of  Governor  Belcher. 

1740.     The  English  colonies  have  now  11  newspapers :  5  in  Boston ; 


History  of  the   United  States.  68 

1  in  New  York  ;  3  in  Pennsylvania  (1  being  German) ;  1  in 
Virginia ;  and  1  in  South  Carolina.  Up  to  this  date  about 
130,000  negroes  have  been  introduced  into  the  colonies.  > 

1741.     Whitefield  returns  to  England  (Jan.). 

1741.  An  English  expedition  of  29  ships  of  the  line,  80  smaller  ves 
sels,  15,000  sailors,  and  20,000  land-forces,  under  Admiral 
Vernon,  reaches  Jamaica  (Jan.) ;  receives  quotas  from  all  the 
colonies  north  of  Carolina  ;  and  besieges  Carthagena  :  in  two 
days  fever  reduces  the  effective  land-force  from  6600  to  3200  ; 
the  assailants  demolish  the  fortifications  and  retire.  A  med 
itated  attack  on  Cuba  is  abandoned  (July) ;  9  out  of  10  of  the 
colonial  recruits  fall  victims  to  the  climate,  etc. ;  and  the  fleftt 
returns  to  Jamaica  (Nov.),  having  lost  about  20,000  lives. 

1741.  The  boundary  between  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire  is 
run,  and  the  two  provinces  are  finalty  divided  ;  Vermont  was 
then,  and  till  after  1763,  considered  a  part  of  New  Hampshire. 

1741.  Behring,  sailing  from  Okhotsk  in  S.  E.  Siberia,  discovers  the 

Aleutian  Islands  and  the  north-west  coast  of  America  (now 
Alaska),  so  completing  the  discovery  of  Behring' s  Straits,  and 
giving  Russia  her  title  to  Russian  America ;  he  perishes  on 
Behring' s  Islands. 

1742.  A  Spanish  expedition  of  36  sail  from  Cuba  invades  Georgia ; 

unsuccessfully  attacks  Fort  William,  on  Cumberland  Island, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Mary's  ;  attacks  Fort  Frederica,  but 
is  defeated  with  great  loss  (7  July) ;  fails  in  another  attack  on 
Fort  William  (18  July) ;  and  Oglethorpe  orders  a  public 
thanksgiving  (24  July)  "for  the  end  of  the  invasion. 

1743.  Oglethorpe  sails  to  England  (July),  to  meet  the  complaints  of 

disaffected  colonists,  and  never  returns  to  Georgia. 

1744.  France  declares  war  against  England  (31  Mar.),  the  "War  of 

the  Austrian  Succession,"  or  "King  George's  War  ;  "  it  lasts 
till  1748.  Before  the  news  reaches  New  England,  a  French 
force  from  Cape  Breton  surprises  and  destroys  Fort  Canseau, 
N.  S.,  and  takes  80  prisoners  to  Louisburg,  C.  B.  (May). 
The  fortifications  of  Annapolis,  N.  S.,  had  been  allowed  to  go 
to  ruin,  and  an  Indian  attack,  under  the  missionary  Le  Loutre, 
is  repelled  with  difficulty.  The  captives  from  Canseau,  being 
sent  to  Boston  on  parole,  bring  intelligence  of  the  condition 
of  Louisburg,  "  the  Gibraltar  of  America,"  on  the  fortification 
of  which  $6,000,000  had  been  spent,  and  William  Shirley, 
governor  of  Massachusetts,  resolves  to  attempt  its  capture. 
Coxe  proposes  a  union  of  all  the  colonies  for  the  purposes  of 
defence,  but  the  idea  is  not  acted  on.  The  population  of  the 
English  colonies  is  about  1,000,000  ;  that  of  Nova  Scotia  about 
16,000,  nearly  all  of  French  origin. 

1744.  At  Lancaster,  Pa.,  deputies  from  the  Iroquois  (Six  Nations) 

meet  the  governor  of  Pennsylvania  and  commissioners  from 
Maryland  and  Virginia  (July),  and  for  about  £400  recognize 
bycdeed  the  king's  right  to  the  lands  of  "  Virginia,"  the  right 
extending  indefinitely  to  the  west  and  north-west ;  Britain 
thus  acquires  a  claim  to  the  basin  of  the  Ohio,  and  an  Indian 
barrier  against  the  French ;  Maryland  is  confirmed  to  Lord 
Baltimore. 

1745.  An  expedition  of  100  vessels  with  about  3800  men  from  Massa- 


<>4  History  of  the   United  States. 

17dt5.  chusetts,  Connecticut,  and  New  Hampshire,  under  William 
Peppereli,  of  Maine,  appears  before  Louis  burg  (30  April);  an 
English  fleet,  under  Warren,  co-operates ;  and  after  a  seven 
weeks'  siege  the  fortress  surrenders  (17  June);  as  a  reward  for 
their  services  in  this  enterprise  Shirley  and  Pepperoll  are 
knighted.  Towns  in  Maine  suffer  from  Indian  attacks. 
A  tract  entitled  "  The  African  Slave-Trade,  the  Great  Pillar  and 
Support  of  the  British  Plantation  Trade  in  America,  "  by  "A' 
British  Merchant,"  is  published  in  London. 

S746.  A  large  fleet  from  France,  under  D'Anville,  despatched  for  the 
recovery  of  Louisburg,  is  wasted  by  storms  and  pestilential 
disease,  and  is  unable  to  attack  even  Annapolis. 

Sir  Charles  Knowles,  the  British  naval  commander,  impresses 
seamen  at  Boston  ;  the  people  are  enraged  at  the  outrage,  and 
in  three  days  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  impressed  citizens  are 
liberated. 

1 747.  A  French  fleet  of  38  sail,  with  troops  for  Canada  and  Nova 
Scotia,  is  defeated  off  Finisterre,  and  all  captured,  by  an 
English  fleet  under  Anson  and  Warren  (3  May). 

Fort  Massachusetts,  at  Williamstown,  opposite  Crown  Point, 
Lake  Champlain,  capitulates  to  a  large  force  of  French  and 
Indians;  attacks  on  Concord,  Mass.,  and  in  Charlestown  town 
ship,  on  the  Connecticut,  are  repelled.  The  colonies  north  of 
Virginia  vote  to  raise  over  8000  men  to  conquer  Canada,  but  as 
no  fleet  comes  from  England  nothing  is  done.  Pennsylvania 
raises  a  volunteer  militia  of  12,000  men;  the  women  furnish 
silk  colors  j  Benjamin  Franklin  is  "the  prime  actor"  in  the 
movement. 

1  748.  Peace  being  expected,  the  colonial  army  disbands  by  direction 
of  the  Duke  of  Newcastle  (Sep.).  It  was  believed  that  Britain 
did  not  desire  to  conquer  Canada,  but  wished  France  to  keep  it 
so  as  to  prevent  the  Colonies  desiring  independence.  Peter 
Kalin,  a  Swedish  traveller  in  America,  says  there  was  a  general 
feeling  among  the  colonists  that  they  would  be  independent  in 
30  or  50  years. 

The  peace  of  Aix-la-Chapelle  is  signed  between  Britain  and 
France  and  Spain  (7  Oct.) ;  Louisburg  and  Cape  Breton  are 
restored  to  France,  at  which  the  colonists  are  discontented. 
Great  Britain,  however,  pays  the  colonists  £183,000  (about 
$900,000)  to  indemnify  them  for  the  cost  of  the  capture  of 
Louisburg. 

The  paper  issue  of  Massachusetts  amounts  to  £2,200,000,  its 
depreciation  being  at  the  rate  of  7  or  8  to  one.  A  proposal  is 
made  to  return  to  specie  payments. 

The  College  of  New  Jersey  (now  Princeton)  is  chartered. 

Johnston,  Governor  of  N.  Carolina,  succeeds  in  getting  an  Act 
passed  for  the  collection  of  quit-rents. 

The  Virginia  Assembly  passes  an  Act  to  encourage  iron 
works. 

The  population  of  the  colonies  is  about  1,150,000;  the  aver 
age  annual  imports  are  about  £75,000;  the  exports  somewhat 
less. 
1749.  Bennington  Wentworth,  Governor  of  N.  Hampshire,  grants  If 


History  of  the  United  States.  65 

1749.     townships  west  of  the  Connecticut,  in  what  is  now  Vermont, 
and  Bennington  and  Burlington  (Vt.)  are  settled. 

1749.  The  population  of  New  York  Province  is  62,786  whites  and 
10,692  negroes;  that  of  New  York  City  is  about  12,000. 

Indigo  is  widely  planted  in  8.  Carolina. 

Under  strong  pressure  from  the  colonists  of  Georgia,  the 
trustees  legalize  slavery,  subject  to  a  condition  for  the  instruc 
tion  of  the  negroes  in  religion. 

Theatrical  representations  are  prohibited  in  Massachusetts 
and  Connecticut. 

The  partial  monopoly  of  the  African  Co.  in  the  slave  trade  is 
taken  away,  every  obstruction  is  removed,  and  the  African 
ports  are  opened  to  English  competition — ' '  for  the  slave-trade 
is  very  advantageous  to  Great  Britain."  Lord  Chancellor 
Hardwicke,  in  Pearce  vs.  Lisle,  pronounces  an  extra-judicial 
opinion  confirming  that  of  Yorke  and  Talbot,  that  a  colonial 
slave  does  not  become  free  by  touching  the  soil  \>f  England. 
The  opinion  was  afterward  set  aside  by  the  Court  of  King's 
Bench. 

The  "Ohio  Company"  obtain  in  England  (March)  a  grant 
of  500,000  acres  of  land  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Ohio,  with  ex 
clusive  privileges. 

1750.  A  member  of  the  House  of  Lords  writes  (Feb.)  :    "  The   British 

Senate  have  this  fortnight  been  pondering  methods  to  make 
more  effectual  that  horrid  traffic  of  selling  negroes.  It  has 
appeared  to  us  that  46,000  of  these  wretches  are  sold  every  year 
to  our  plantations  alone."  The  importation  into  the  Colonies 
of  indented  white  persons  called  "  servants"  or  "redemp- 
tioners"  is  still  extensively  carried  on. 

Mass,  redeems  its  paper  money  at  about  1-5  less  than  its 
current  value,  future  debts  to  be  paid  in  silver  at  6s.  8d.  per  oz. 

The  present  boundaries  of  Maryland  and  Delaware  are  de 
creed  by  Lord  Hardwicke. 

Colonial  pig-iron  is  admitted  into  Great  Britain  free  of  duty. 

1751.  Charles,  Lord  Baltimore,  dies;  his  eldest  son  Frederick  succeeds 

as  proprietary  of  Maryland.  The  Nanticokes  migrate  from 
eastern  Maryland  to  the  upper  waters  of  the  Susquehanna. 

The  first  printing-press  in  New  Jersey  is  established  at 
Woodbridge.  Philadelphia  has  a  population  of  about  11,000 
whites  and  6,000  negroes. 

Henry  Parker,  Governor  of  Georgia,  convenes  an  Assembly 
(Jan.). 

1752.  The  trustees  of  Georgia  surrender  their  Charter  (June);  the  pro 

vince  contains  only  3  small  towns  and  some  scattered  planta 
tions,  with  1,700  whites  and  400  negroes;  Savannah  has  150 
houses,  "  all  wooden,  very  small,  and  mostly  old."  The 
people  of  Dorchester,  S.  C.  remove,  and  settle  on  the  river 
Medway,  Ga. 

A  company  of  actors  from  London  give  theatrical  perform 
ances  at  Annapolis  (Md.),  Williamsburg  (Va.),  Philadelphia, 
New  York,  and  other  places. 

Robert  Dinwiddie  is  appointed  Lieut.-Governor  of  Virginia 
in  place  of  Gouch. 

The  "New  Style"  is  adopted  in  Brifcrn  and  tht;  Colonies; 


66  History  of  the   United  States. 

1752.  1.1  days  are  left  out  of  the  calendar,  3  Sep.  being  reckoned  as 
14  Sep.  The  commencement  of  the  calendar  year  is  changed 
by  Act  of  Parliament  from  25  March  to  1  January. 

Franklin  with  his  kite  brings  down  electricity  from  thunder 
clouds. 

Boston  has  17,574  inhabitants;  an  outbreak  of  small -pox 
kills  about  550. 

1754.  Boundary  disputes  with  the  French  have  been  going  on  since 
1749;  the  Virginia  Assembly  grants  (Jan.)  £10,000  for  frontier 
defence,  and  600  men  are  enlisted.  New  York  and  S.  Carolina 
send  three  companies  to  help  Virginia.  The. French  erect 
Fort  Du  Quesne  (now  Pittsburgh)  at  the  confluence  of  the  Alle- 
ghany  and  Monongahela  rivers;  a  detachment  under  Wash 
ington  attacks  a  French  advance  party  at  Great  Meadows  (17 
April),  kills  11  including  the  commander  Jumonville,  and  erects 
Fort  Necessity.  Washington  subsequently  surrenders  the  fort 
to  a  superior  force,  retires,  and  erects  Fort  Cumberland.  Mary 
land  votes  £6000  and  New  York  £5000  in  aid  of  Virginia.  The 
British  Government  sends  £10,000,  and  appoints  Gov.  Sharpe  of 
Maryland  commander-iii-chief.  A  convention  of  delegates 
from  N.  Y.,  Penn.,  Md.,  Conn.,  Mass.,  H.  I.,  and  N.  H.,  meets 
at  Albany  (19  June),  and  Franklin  proposes  a  plan  for  a  union 
of  the  Colonies  for  the  purpose  of  defence;  the  plan  falls 
through  owing  to  the  opposition  of  some  of  the  Colonial  Legis 
latures. 

Connecticut  still  claims  territory  west  of  the  Delaware,  and 
the  "  Susquehanna"  and  "Delaware"  companies,  having 
obtained  from  Britai"  *i  right  to  colonize,  acquire,  with  the  con 
sent  of  the  Conn.  Legislature,  the  Indian  title  to  the  valley  of 
Wyoming  and  other  lands;  the  proprietors  of  Pennsylvania 
claim  the  territory  under  their  charter. 

The  population  of  New  France  and  Louisiana  is  scarcely 
100,000;  that  of  the  colonies  is  1,192,896  whites  and  292,738 
negroes.  Mass,  has  2448  negro  slaves  over  16  years  of  age, 
about  1000  being  in  Boston;  in  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island 
the  ratio  of  slaves  is  higher;  in  New  York  City  they  form  1-6 
of  the  population;  in  Philadelphia,  1-4;  in  Maryland,  Virginia, 
and  N.  Carolina,  1-3  or  more;  in  S.  Carolina,  over  1-2. 

Capt.  John  Reynolds  is  appointed  royal  Governor  of  Geor 
gia;  he  arrives  there  (29  Oct.)  and  organizes  the  judiciary. 

King's  College  (now  Columbia),  New  York  City,  is  opened. 
The  first  printing-press  is  put  up  in  N.  Carolina. 

1755.  Gov.  Reynolds  (Ga.)  convenes  a  General  Assembly  (7  Jan.); 
Edmund  Gray  factiously  attempts  to  break  it  up,  and  he  and 
four  others  are  expelled. 

War  with  France  being  mooted,  Gen.  Braddock  is  appointed 
commander-iii-chief,  ancl  sent  to  the  Chesapeake  with  two 
British  regiments  (Feb.);  the  Colonies  raise  money  and  several 
thousand  troops.  Braddock,  with  1300  men,  advances  from 
Cumberland,  Md.,  against  the  French,  but  when  within  5  miles 
of  Fort  Du  Quesne  (now  Pittsburg),  is  surprised  and  attacked 
by  a  force  of  200  French  and  600  Indians,  defeated,  and  mort 
ally  wounded  (9  July),  his  troops  losing  700  in  killed  and 


History  of  the   United  States.  .    67 

!75§.     wounded.      The   enemy's  loss  is    not  over  60.     Washington 
conducts  the  retreat  successfully. 

An  expedition  of  3000  men,  under  John  Winslow,  leaves 
Boston  for  Chigneeto  (now  Halifax,  N.  S.)>  anc^  being;  joined 
by  300  British  regulars,  the  united  forces,  under  Col.  Moncton, 
capture  the  French  forts  at  Beau  Sejour  and  Gaspereau.  and 
at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  John's  river,  and  expel  the  French 
from  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  The  French  Acadian  population, 
numbering  about  7000,  are  transported  (Sep.)  to  the  British 
Colonies,  "an  event  which  forms  the  basis  of  Longfellow's 
"  Evangeline,"  and  ou  which  new  light  has  been  thrown  by 
Mr.  Parkmau. 

A  colonial  force  of  6000  men,  under  William  Johnson,  des 
tined  for  an  attack  on  Crown  Point  (Lake  Champlain),  defeats 
a  combined  force  of  French  and  Indians  under  Dieskau  at  the 
battle  of  Lake  George,  near  Fort  Lyman  (now  Fort  Edward), 
on  the  Hudson;  Johnson  erects  Fort  William  Henry  at  the 
head  of  Lake  George. 

A  force  of  New  Englanders  and  Indians,  under  Gov.  Shir- 
lay,  of  Massachusetts,  fails  in  an  attempted  expedition  against 
Fort  Niagara,  and  builds  two  forts  at  Oswego. 

Pennsylvania  votes  £50,000  for  frontier  defence;  several 
Quaker  members,  objecting  to  war,  resign  their  seats,  others 
decline  re-election,  and  Quaker  rule  comes  to  an  «nd;  the  an 
nual  value  of  the  proprietary  estates  is  £30,000;  disputes  arise 
as  to  the  right  of  the  Assembly  to  tax  them.  Virginia  votes 
£40,000  and  Maryland  £6000  for  frontier  defence.  The  Pro 
vincial  Governors  meet  at  New  York  (Dec.),  and  arrange  to  raise 
20,000  men  to  attack  Fort  Du  Quesne,  Crown  Point,  and  Nia 
gara  during  the  coming  year. 

New  York  Province    has  83,223  whites  and   13,542  blacks. 
The  population  of  New  England  is  about  435.000. 
The  New  York  "  Society  Library1'  is  founded. 
After  a  hearing  in  England  the  dispute  in  Virginia  about 
fees  for  land  patents   is  compromised.     Virginia  first  issues 
paper  money;  it  soon  depreciates. 

The  Connecticut  Gazette,  the  first  newspaper  in  Conn.,  is 
published  at  New  Haven.  The  North  Carolina  Gazette,  the  first 
newspaper  in  N.  C.,  is  published  at  Newbern  (Dec.). 

Fowle  is  imprisoned  in  Boston  for  contempt  for  publishing  a 
pamphlet  satirising  the  General  Court. 

1756.  Fowle  publishes  at  Portsmouth  (7  Oct.)  the  New  Hampshire 
Gazette,  the  first  newspaper  in  N.  H. 

England  formally  declares  war  against  France  (18  May), 
"the  Seven  Years'  War";  it  lasts  till  1763.  The  Board  "of 
Trade  proposes  a  scheme  to  tax  the  Colonies  to  help  to  pay  the 
war  expenses;  the  idea  is  badly  received  in  the  Colonies  and  is 
dropped. 

The  Marquis  de  Van  Ireuil  is  appointed  Governor  of  New 
France  in  place  of  Du  Q  lesne.  Montcalm,  with  a  force  of  5000 
men,  takes  and  destroys  the  forts  at  Oswego,  capturing  over 
1000  men  and  135  pieces  of  artillery  (14  Aug.). 

William  De  my  is  sent  from  England  to  supersede  Morris  as 
Dep. -Govern'  r  of  Pennsylvania  (May);  the  Penn.  Assembly 


68  tftstory  of  the  Untied  States. 

j 
1766.     offers   large    premiums   for    Indian    prisoners    and   tcalp& 

Boundary  disputes  between  New  York  and  Massachusetts 
culminate  in  riot  and  bloodshed. 

Lord  Baltimore,  proprietary  of  Maryland,  relinquishes  hia 
claims  to  tines  and  forfeitures,  and  the  Assembly  grants  him 
£40,000. 

Gov.  Glen,  of  S.  Carolina,  erects  Fort  Prince  George  and 
Fort  Loudoun  at  the  head  waters  of  the  Savannah  and  Ten 
nessee.  What  is  now  Tennessee  first  receives  permanent  settlers. 
1757.  Henry  Ellis  is  made  Governor  of  Georgia  (10  Feb.)  in  place  of 
Reynolds.  Thomas Townall  is  appointed  Governor  of  Massa. 
chusetts  (July)  in  place  of  Shirley. 

At  the  instance  of  the  Quakers,  peace  is  made  at  Lancaster, 
Penn.,  between  Pennsylvania  and  the  Six  Nations  and  Dela- 
wares. 

Gen.  Loudon,  with  6000  land  forces  and  11  sail  with  6000 
sailors,  makes  an  unsuccessful  attempt  tc  -a  iu.e  Louisburg 
(July).  Montcalm,  with  8000  men,  captu,^  Fort  William 
Henry,  with  2000  men  under  Munroe. 

William  Pitt  is  made  Prime  Minister  of  Britain  (June),  and 
resolves  to  prosecute  with  vigor  the  war  in  America. 

Philadelphia  has  about  13,000  inhabitants;  New  York  City 
about  12,000. 

The  French  population  of  Louisiana  is  about  10,000. 
1*58.  Pitt  calls  for  20,000  men  from  the  Colonies,  Great  Britain  to 
furnish  arms  and  supplies.  Including  22,000  regulars  about  50,- 
000  troops  are  raised,  with  Abercrombie  as  commander-in-chief. 
Gen.  Amherst,  with  14,000  men,  after  a  50  days'  siege,  captures 
Louisburg  (27  July),  and  acquires  ail  Cape  Breton  and  St. 
John  (now  Prince  Edward  Island)-  the  inhabitants,  numbering 
about  6600,  are  sent  to  France.  Abercrombie  makes  an  unsuc 
cessful  attack  on  Fort  Carillon  (now  Ticonderoga),  and  loses 
about  2000  in  killed  and  wounded  (8  July).  Abercrombie  is 
superseded  as  commander-in-chief  by  Amherst.  Bradstreet 
destroys  Fort  Frontenac  (25  Aug.),  and  erects  Fort  Stanwix 
(now  Kome,  N.  Y.).  Major  Grant,  with  800  men,  is  repulsed 
from  an  attack  on  Fort  Du  Quesne.  On  the  approach  of  Gen. 
Forbes  with  8000  men,  the  French  set  tire  to  and  abandon  Fort 
Du  Qnesne  (2*  Nov.);  the  colonial  troops  take  possession  (25 
Nov.),  and  change  the  name  to  Fort  Pitt  (now  Pittsburg.) 
The  Indians  now  become  inclined  to  peace.  Fort  Pownall,  on 
the  Penobscot,  is  built. 

The  Church  of  England  is  established  in  Georgia. 

The  Virginia  Legal  Tender  Act  is  renewed;  it  creates  oppo 
sition,  and  is  pronounced  void  by  Order  in  Council,  but,  owing 
to  the  eloquent  advocacy  of  Patrick  Henry,  the  Act  is  sustained 
in  the  Provincial  Courts.  The  provide  exports  about  70,000 
hhds.  of  tobacco  during  the  year, 

', 'SfiL  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  are  aba;  doned  bj  the  French 
and  captured  by  Amherst  (July).  Auother  force,  under  Sir 
William  Johnson,  captures  Foil  Niagara  (24  July),  after  routing 
a  relieving  force  of  1200  (23  July).  Gen.  Wolfe  defeats  the 
French  under  Montcalm,  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  near  Que 
bec  (13  Sep.),  both  generals  being  slain,  and  Quebec 
«•  to  the 


History  of  the   United  time*.  6H 

1769.  War  breaks  out  between  S.  Carolina  and  the  Cheroteees, 
1760.  Murray,  commander  at  Quebec,  is  defeated  at  Sillery  (26  April) 
by  the  French  under  De  Levi,  with  a  loss  of  1000  men  and  all 
his  artillery;  he  takes  refuge  in  Quebec  with  3000  men,  1000 
of  whom  are  unfit  for  service,  and  is  there  besieged.  Some 
ships  arrive  from  England  with  supplies,  and  DeLevi  raises  the 
siege  (10  May).  Amherst  embarks  at  Oswego,  and  arrives  at 
Montreal  with  10,000  white  troops  and  1000  Indians  (5  Sep.); 
Murray  arrives  with  4000  from  Quebec  (5  Sep.);  Haviland 
arrives  (6  Sept.)  with  3500  by  way  of  Lake  Chainplain. 
making  18,500.  The  French  Governor  capitulates,  giving  iq 
Montreal,  Presque  Isle,  Detroit,  Mackinaw,  and  all  other 
French  posts  in  western  Canada;  the  French  troops  (about 
4000)  are  sent  back  to  France . 

A  large  fire  destroys  a  c.onsiderable  part  of  Boston  (20 
March). 

Francis  Bernard,  ex-Governor  of  New  Jersey,  succeeds  Pow- 
nall  as  Governor  of  Massachusetts  (4  Aug.). 

The  Cherokees  capture  Fort  Loudoun,  S.  C.  (7  Aug.),  and 
treacherously  massacre  part  of  the  garrison . 

The  Virginia  Assembly  reduces  the  import  duty  on  slave? 
from  20  per  cent,  to  10. 

George  II.  dies  (25  Oct.);  George  III,,  succeeds. 

Georgia  issues  about  £7500  paper  money. 

The  boundaries  between  Maryland  and  Delaware  u/eu.^.? 
accurately  defined. 

An  attempt  by  S.  Carolina  to  impose  prudential  restrictions 
on  the  slave-trade  is  rebuked  by  the  English  ministry. 
761.  Grant,  with    2600  men,  defeats  the   Cherokees  (10  June),  who 
sue  for  and  are  granted  peace. 

The  Wilmington  Gazette,  the  first  newspaper  in  Delaware,  is 
published  at  W  ilniington. 

Newport,  R.  I.,  has  about  650  negro  slaves. 

James  Otis  makes  his  great  speech  in  Boston  against 
"  Writs  of  Assistance"  to  enforce  the  British  Acts  of  Trade. 

Spain  commences  hostilities  against  Britain  (Dec.). 
1762.  France  cedes  New  Orleans  and  all  Louisiana  west  of  the  Missis 
sippi  to  Spain;  Spain  does  not  take  possession  till  1768. 

The  British  fleet  captures  Havana  (12  Aug.). 

The  Providence  Gazette,  the  first  newspaper  in  Providence, 
R.  I.,  is  published.  The  first  printing-press  in  Georgia  is  set 
up  at  Savannah. 

;76&  The  Peace  of  Paris  is  signed  (10  Feb.)  between  Britain,  France, 
and  Spain;  France  cedes  Canada  and  all  the  territory  east  of 
the  Mississippi  to  Britain,  and  to  Spain  all  the  territory  west  of 
the  Mississippi;  Spain  cedes  Florida  to  Britain  in  exchange  for 
Havana.  The  war  had  cost  the  Colonies  30,000  men  and 
$16,000,000,  of  which  about  $5,000,000  were  reimbursed  by  the 
British  Parliament.  The  New  England  clergy  complain  that 
the  morals  of  their  parishioners  have  been  corrupted  by  service 
In  the  armies,  * 

Florida  is  divided  by  royal  proclamation  into  two  parts: 
West  Florida,  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Appalachicola;  and 
East  Florida,  from  tbe  Appalachicola  to  the  Atlantic. 


70  mstory  of  the  Unite* 

9 

1 768,        Several  Indian  tribes,  under  Pontiac,  attack  the  colonists  along 

the  frontiers  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  (May),  and  capture 
a  number  of  posts;  the  settlers  retaliate  by  massacring  a 
friendly  tribe  at  Conestoga,  on  the  Suscmehanna;  Franklin  de 
nounces  these  murders. 

Jt  is  proposed  in  Britain  to  maintain  10,000  regulars  aa  a 
peace  establishment  to  defend  the  Colonies  against  the  Indiana. 
In  order  to  partially  defray  the  expenses  of  these  troops,  Charles 
Townshend  introduces  into  Parliament  a  bill  to  impose  Stamp 
Duties  in  the  Colonies;  the  prorogation  of  Parliament  prevents 
the  bill  from  being  proceeded  with. 

A  ferry  is  started  between  New  York  City  and  Paulus  HOOK 
(now  Jersey  City.). 

St.  Louis  is  founded  by  La  Glede,  a  French  fur-trader. 

The  Georgia  Gazette,  the  first  newspaper  in  Georgia,  is  start 
ed  at  Savannah  (17  April). 

1763-7.  "  Mason  and  Dixon's  Line"  between  Pennsylvania  and  Mary 
land  (39°  43'  26.3"  N.)  is  run  by  Charles  Mason  and 
Jeremiah  Dixon,  two  English  astronomers. 

1764.  Major  Loftus,  ascending  the  Mississippi  towards  Illinois,  is 
attacked  by  Indians  near  the  site  of  Fort  Adams,  and  com 
pelled  to  return;  two  expeditions  attack  the  Indians  by  way  of 
Pittsburg  and  the  Lakes,  and  the  Indians  sue  for  peace. 

A  large  emigration  from  the  Colonies  takes  place  on  to  the 
lands  on  the  Monongahela  claimed  by  the  Six  Nations.  S. 
Carolina  receives  a  large  European  emigration.  Emigrants 
from  the  Roanoke,  N.  C.,  settle  in  West  Florida,  near  Baton 
Kouge;  East  Florida  receives  more  settlers  during  the  next  ten 
years  than  during  the  whole  Spanish  occupation. 

Grenvillc,  the  British  Prime  Minister,  brings  inTownshend's 
scheme  of  Colonial  taxation  in  a  more  formal  shape,  and  the 
House  of  Commons  resolves  without  a  division,  "  that  Parlia 
ment  has  a  right  to  tax  the  Colonies."  Action  is  delayed  in 
order  to  give  the  Colonies  an  opportunity  to  suggest  a  more 
satisfactory  way  of  raising  the  money.  The  "  Sugar  Act"  is 
passed  (5  April),  reducing  by  one-half  the  duties  on  sugar  and 
molasses,  and  levying  duties  on  coffee  and  other  goods  imported 
into  the  Colonies,  for  the  purpose  of  '*  raising  a  revenue  for 
defraying  the  expenses  of  defending,  protecting,  and  securing 
His  Majesty's  Dominions  in  America."  Massachusetts  protests. 
and  instructs  its  agent  in  London  to  urge  the  repeal  of  the  Act; 
the  House  of  Representatives  resolves  (June),  "  that  the  impo 
sition  of  duties  and  taxes  by  the  Parliament  of  Great  Britain, 
upon  a  people  not  represented  in  the  House  of  Commons,  is 
absolutely  irreconcilable  with  their  rights."  A  letter  to  the 
Colonial  agent  says:  *'If  we  are  not  represented,  we  are 
slaves  I"  James  Otis  publishes  a  pamphlet  entitled,  "The 
Rights  of  the  British  Colonies  asserted,"  which  is  also  pub 
lished  in  London  in  1765. 

The  British  Parliament  also  passes  an  Act  to  restrain  the 
Colonies  from  making  paper-money  legal  tender.  The  Penn 
sylvania  Assembly  send  Franklin  to  England  (Oct.)  to  solicit 
the  repeal  of  the  Act,  to  protest  against  the  Sugar  >"t  and  toe 


History  of  the  United  State*.  71 

1764.  proposed  Stamp  Duties,  to  procure  the  abrogation  of  the 
authority  of  the  proprietary,  and  to  get  Pennsylvania  made  a 
royal  Province.  New  York  (Oct.),  Massachusetts  (Nov.),  Vir. 
ginia  (Dec.),  Connecticut,  and  Rhode  Island  petition  against 
the  proposed  taxation. 

An  Order  in  Council  settles  the  boundary  dispute  between 
New  ti  ork  and  New  Hampshire  by  declaring  the  Connecticut 
to  be  the  boundary. 

The  Connecticut  Courant,  the  first  newspaper  published  In 
Hartford,  Conn.,  is  issued  (29  Oct.). 

A  scheme  is  broached  in  England  by  Pownall  and  others, 
for  allowing  the  Colonies  to  be  represented  in  Parliament. 

:  765.  Resolutions  lor  a  Colonial  Stamp  Act  are  carried  in  the  House 
of  Commons,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  Col.  Barre  and 
others,  by  a  majority  of  five  to  one  (27  Feb.);  the  Stamp  Act 
is  passed  (22  March),  to  go  into  effect  on  the  1  Nov. ;  a  clause  is 
added  to  the  Mutiny  Act  authorizing  the  Government  to  send 
any  number  of  troops  to  America;  and  the  "  Quartering  Act" 
is  passed  requiring  the  Colonies  to  find  quarters,  firewood, 
bedding,  drink,  soap,  and  candles  for  the  troops.  In  the  Vir 
ginia  Assembly  Patrick  Henry  carries  resolutions  of  protest 
(May).  The  Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives  recom 
mends  a  Convention  of  representatives  from  all  the  Colonies  to 
meet  at  New  York  on  the  7th  Oct.,  to  consider  the  Acts  (6 
June). 

A  change  takes  place  in  the  English  Ministry,  and  Rocking- 
ham  becomes  Prime  Minister  (July).  The  Government  appoints 
Stamp  Collectors  in  the  Colonies,  which  leads  to  riots,  in  Boston 
(Aug.);  and  associations  called  "  Sons  of  Liberty"  are  formed 
in  the  northern  Colonies  to  resist  the  enforcement  of  tbe  Act. 
The  Pennsylvania  Assembly  resolves  (21  Sep.)  that  the  Act  is 
"  unconstitutional  and  subversive  of  their  dearest  rights";  pub 
lic  meetings — a  novel  mode  of  giving  expression  to  public  opi 
nion — are  held  throughout  the  Colonies  to  protest  against  it. 
The  Colonial  Congress  meets  at  New  York  (7  Oct.),  and  passes 
a  "  Declaration  of  Rights  and  Grievances,"  claiming  as  their 
birthright  all  the  privileges  of  Englishmen,  including  "the 
right  of  being  taxed  only  by  their  own  consent."  A  petition 
is  sent  to  England  for  presentation  to  Parliament  (25  Oct.). 
All  Stamp  officers  are  compelled  to  resign,  and  the  stamps 
sent  out  either  remain  unpacked  or  are  seized  and  burnt,  and 
it  is  found  impossible  to  enforce  the  Act.  Citizen's  committees 
in  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Boston  resolve  to  import  no 
goods  from  Great  Britain  till  the  Act  is  repealed. 

;766.  Many  petitions  by  British  merchants  are  presented  to  Parlia 
ment  for  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act;  Pitt  contends  "  that  the 
kingdom  has  no  right  to  levy  a  tax  on  the  Colonies";  and  the 
Act  is  repealed  (28  March)  by  a  vote  of  275  to  167,  an  Act 
having  been  previously  passed  asserting  the  right  of  Parliament 
"  to  bind  the  Colonies  in  all  cases  whatsoever" ;  Lord  Camden 
protests  against  this  latter  Act.  The  repeal  produces  joy 
throughout  the  Colonies  (May),  several  of  which  vote  statues  to 
the  King  and  to  Pitt.  The  joy  is  dampened  by -the  remem 
brance  that  the  Sugar  Act  is  still  in  force  The  Rockingliam 


72  History  of  the   United  States. 

1766.  Ministry  is  defeated  (.Aug.),  and  Pitt,  now  Earl  of  Chatham, 
forms  a  new  ministry,  with  Townshend  as  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer. 

William  Tryon  is  made  Governor  of  N.  Carolina,  in  place 
of  Dobbs. 

Philip  Embury  forms  a  Methodist  Society  in  New  York,  which 
afterwards  becomes  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Society  of  the  LI.  IS. 

The  population  of  Louisiana  is  about  5500  whites  and  5000 
negroes. 

A  controversy  springs  up  in  Massachusetts  as  to  the  justice 
and  legality  of  negro  slavery;  it  goes  on  till  1773. 

''Regulators"  are  formed  in  S.Carolina  to  punish  horse- 
thieves  and  other  offenders;  some  of  the  inhabitants  (called 
"  Scovilites")  protest  against  this  assumption  of  authority. 

1767.  Some  of  these  "  Regulators  "  are  arrested  and  sent  to  Charles 

ton,  and  the  feud  nearly  results  in  an  appeal  to  arms;  it  is 
temporarily  quieted  by  the  establishment  of  District  Courts, 
but  continues  to  rankle,  and  the  "Regulators''  assume  the 
name  of  Whigs,  and  stigmatise  the  Scovilites  as  Tories. 

The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  attempts  to  restrict  the 
importation  of  negroes;  the  negroes  of  the  province  begin  to 
sue  their  so-called  owners  for  wages,  and  juries  invariably  give 
a  verdict  in  favor  of  the  negroes ;  these  trials  are  the  first 
steps  towards  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  Mass. 

Townshend  brings  in  a  new  bill  in  the  House  of  Commons 
to  raise  revenues  in  America  by  customs  duties  to  maintain  a 
standing-army  and  to  provide  permanent  salaries  for  the  gov 
ernors  and  judges;  it  passes  with  very  little  opposition.  The 
Act  excites  opposition  in  the  Colonies,  and  John  Dickinson,  of 
Penn.,  commences  his  series  of  "  Letters  from  a  Pennsylvania 
Farmer,"  showing  the  danger  of  allowing  any  precedent  of 
parliamentary  taxation.  The  colonial  newspapers,  about  25  in 
number,  teem  with  essays  on  colonial  rights.  At  a  large  public 
meeting  in  Boston  (28  Oct.)  it  is  agreed  to  discontinue  the  impor 
tation  of  British  goods,  and  to  encourage  home  manufactures; 
similar  meetings  are  held  in  New  York,  Connecticut,  and  Phila 
delphia;  New  York  still  refuses  to  provide  for  the  troops 
stationed  in  the  Province. 

1768.  The  Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives  now  consists  of  over 

100  members;  a  gallery  for  spectators  has  recently  been  erected; 
its  debates  begin  to  attract  attention.  The  House  issues  a  "  Cir 
cular  "  (11  Feb.)  to  the  other  Colonies  inviting  co-operation  in 
defence  of  their  rights;  Connecticut,  New  Jersey,  Virginia,  and 
Georgia  give  a  cordial  response  to  it.  The  Massachusetts  mer 
chants  are  irritated  by  the  new  strictness  in  the  collection  of 
duties  ;  and  the  seizure  of  John  Hancock's  sloop  Liberty,  on 
a  charge  of  smuggling  wine,  occasions  a  great  riot  (10  June). 
The  House  of  Representatives  refuses,  by  a  vote  of  92  to  17,  to 
rescind  the  Circular  of  11  Feb.,  and  Gov.  Bernard  dissolves  it. 
The  Assemblies  of  Virginia,  Maryland,  Georgia,  and  New  York 
are  dissolved.  On  the  news  of  the  Boston  riots  reaching  Eng 
land,  two  regiments  are  sent  to  Boston  from  Ireland.  A  town- 
meeting  in  Boston  (12  Sep.)  requests  Gov.  Bernard  to  summon 
the  General  Court;  he  refuses;  the  meeting  calls  a  Convention* 


History  of  the  United  States.  7S 

1788,  and  delegates  from  over  100  towns  meet  (22  Sep.),  and  petition 
Bernard  to  summons  a  General  Court;  he  again  refuses,  and 
denounces  the  Convention  as  treasonable.  The  Convention 
petitions  the  King  (26  Sep.).  The  Council  declines  to  find 
quarters  and  supplies  for  the  troops  from  Ireland  and  Halifax. 
The  House  of  Lords  censures  the  Convention  and- other  popular 
proceedings  in  Boston,  and  recommends  that  the  offenders  be 
sent  to  England  to  be  tried  for  treason. 

The  people  of  N.  Carolina  complain  of  extortionate  fees; 
associations  of  "Regulators  "  are  formed  which  refuse  payment 
of  taxes  and  assault  the  government  officials. 

The  Six  Nations,  by  treaty  made  at  Fort  Stanwix  (5  Nov.). 
cede  for  £10,460  the  territory  between  the  Ohio  and  Tennessee 
Rivers;  the  first  settlement  in  what  is  now  Tennessee  is  made 
on  the  Wataga  by  emigrants  from  N.  Carolina  under  James 
Robertson;  they  organize  themselves  into  a  body  politic. 

Bangor,  Me.,  is  settled.  Dartmouth  College,  N.  H.,  is  incor 
porated.  Connecticut  erects  at  Norwich  its  first  paper-mill.  The 
second  theatre  in  New  York  is  opened  on  Beekman  (now  Ful 
ton)  St.,  near  Nassau.  Philadelphia  contains  4474  houses. 

The  N.  Y.  Chamber  of  Commerce  is  founded;  it  is  incorpor 
ated  in  1770. 

i'69.   The  House  of  Commons  passes    resolutions  condemning  the 
Boston  Convention  (Jan.);  Gov.  Bernard  is  created  a  baronet. 

Thomas  Jefferson's  motion  in  the  Virginia  Assembly  to  give 
slave-owners  a  right  to  emancipate  their  slaves,  is  unsuccessful 
(May). 

The  Virginia  Assembly  passes  Resolutions  maintaining  the 
right  of  self-taxation,  petition,  remonstrance,  and  to  the  local 
trial  of  offenders.  Lord  Boutetort,  the  Governor,  dissolves  the 
Assembly;  the  members  meet  and  enter  into  a  non-importation 
agreement. 

The  Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives  resolve  (31  May) 
that  it  is  inconsistent  with  their  dignity  and  freedom  to  deliber 
ate  in  the  midst  of  an  armed  force,  and  that  the  keeping  of  such 
force  during  then*  session  is  a  breach  of  privilege;  they  petition 
for  its  removal  at  least  during  their  sessions;  the  Governor 
declines;  the  House  refuses  supplies,  and  the  Governor  adjourns 
it  to  Cambridge  (18  June).  -The  Representatives  petition  the 
King  for  the  removal  of  the  Governor  (Sir  Francis  Bernard); 
denounce  a  standing  army  without  the  consent  of  the  General 
Court  as  an  invasion  of  natural  rights,  and  highly  dangerous 
and  unconstitutional;  and  refuse  to  provide  IOT  the  troops; 
Bernard  prorogues  the  Court,  and  goes  to  England  (1  Aug.), 
leaving  Hutchinson  as  Lieutenant-Governor. 

TheS.  Carolina  Assembly  refuses  to  find  quarters  for  troops; 
and  the  Assemblies  of  S.  Carolina,  Maryland,  Delaware,  and 
N.  Carolina  adopt  the  Virginia  Resolutions.  The  N.  Carolina 
Assembly  is  dissolved;  the  members  meet  and  enter  into  a  non 
importation  agreement;  Georgia  and  Rhode  Island  enter  into  a 
Bimilar  agreement;  and  New  Hampshire  is  also  forced  into  it. 
Political  parties  begin  to  be  formed  in  the  Colonies;  the  parti 
sans  of  the  mother-country  are  stigmatised  as  Tories,  and  their 
opponents  call  themselves  Whigs. 


74  History  of  the  United  States. 

1769.  Powuall  moves  in  Parliament  for  the  repeal  of  Townshend's 
Act;  the  Government  refer  the  subject  to  the  following  session. 
After  prorogation,  the  Government  send  a  Circular  to  the 
Colonies  announcing  their  intention  of  repealing  all  colonial 
duties  on  British  goods;  but  as  the  duty  on  tea  and  the  abstract 
right  to  tax  the  Colonies  is  retained,  the  Circular  produces  little 
effect.  New  York,  however,  shows  symptoms  of  yielding,  and 
at  the  new  elections  the  "  Moderate  Party  "  obtain  a  decided 
majority;  the  new  Assembly  appoint  Edmund  Burke  their 
agent  in  England;  they  adopt  the  Virginia  Resolutions,  but 
yield  so  far  as  to  make  provision  for  the  British  troops;  against 
this  concession  Alex.  M'Dougall  issues  an  "  Address  to  the 
betrayed  Inhabitants  "  of  New  York;  the  Assembly  pronounces 
this  address  a  seditious  libel,  and  imprisons  M'Dougall;  the 
soldiers  cut  down  the  liberty-pole,  frequent  brawls  occur 
between  them  and  the  people,  and  they  are  constantly  sub 
jected  to  insults  by  mobs  of  men  and  boys. 

The  Maryland  Assembly  passes  a  bill  to  regulate  extortionate 
fees;  the  Council  negatives  it. 

The  boundary  dispute  between  New  York  and  New  Jersey  is 
settled  by  joint  commissioners. 

Conflicts,  with  bloodshed,  occur  in  the  Valley  of  Wyoming, 
between  the  claimants  under  the  Susquehanna  Co.,  of  Conn., 
und  the  grantees  of  the  proprietary  of  Pennsylvania,  who  are 
rival  claimants  to  the  territory;  the  claimants  under  the  Co. 
prevail,  and  they  live  for  two  years  under  a  government  of  their 
own. 

James  Otis  is  assaulted  and  nearly  killed  by  a  man  named 
Robinson  and  other  ruffians  of  the  opposite  party  (Sep.),  and 
permanently  disqualified  for  usefulness;  his  place  in  the  Mass. 
Mouse  of  Representatives  is  filled  by  John  Adams,  a  leading 
member  of  the  popular  "  caucus"  in  Boston. 

John  Finlay,  Daniel  Boone,  and  4  settlers  on  the  Yadkin  ex 
plore  part  of  what  is  now  Kentucky  ;  Boone  is  taken  prisoner 
by  the  Indians  ;  he  escapes,  and,  after  making  further  explora 
tions  for  two  years,  returns  to  the  Yadkin  in  1771. 

Dartmouth  College,  at  Hanover,  N.  H.,  is  chartered  (13  Dec.); 
it.  had  grown  out  ofMoor's  Indian  Missionary  School,  begun  at 
Lebanon,  Conn.,  in  1854,  which  Wheelock  had  removed  from 
Lebanon  to  Hanover. 

John  Wesley  sends  two  disciples  from  England  to  the 
Colonies  to  plant  the  new  WesJeyan  Church  in  America. 
*770.  A  body  of  8  soldiers  in  Boston,  provoked  beyond  endurance  by 
words  and  blows,  fires  into  a  mob  and  kills  3  and  wounds  5 
others  (5  March),  an  affair  known  as  "  the  Boston  Massacre." 
A  town-meeting  votes  that  only  the  removal  of  the  troops  will 
prevent  bloodshed  (6  March).  The  Lieut.-Governor  orders  the 
removal  of  all  the  soldiers;  the  eight  concerned  in  the  firing  are 
tried,  but  all  are  acquitted  except  two,  who  are  found  guilty  of 
manslaughter  and  slightly  punished. 

The  British  Parliament  repeals  Townshend's  Act  except  as  to 
the  tax  on  tea;  and  the  Quartering  Act  (originally  limited  to  3 
years)  is  allowed  to  expire.  The  tax  on  tea,  however,  and  the 
Sugar  Act  keep  alive  Colonial  discontent.  The  tea-tax,  of  8d 


History  of  the   United  States.  75 

1770.  per  &>.»  is  Justified  in  Britain  by  the  fact  that  a  drawback  ©f  Is. 
per,lb.  is  allowed  on  the  tea  on  leaving  Britain,  the  coloniste 
thus  gaining  9d  per  Ib.  • 

Dennis  d'e  Berdt,  the  agent  oi  -Massachusetts  in  England, 
dies,  and  Franklin  (already  agent  for  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey, 
and  Georgia)  is  appointed  agent  for  Mass. 

Robert  Eden,  Governor  of  Maryland,  issues  a  proclamation 

(Nov.)  for  the  regulation  of  fees,  which  is  denounced  as  an 

attempt  to  tax  without  the  authority  of   the  Assembly;    the 

Governor  declines  to  yield,  and  the  dispute  is  kept  up  for  several 

.  years. 

The  Massachusetts  Spy  is  first  published,  in  Boston  (July). 

Tin-ware  is  first  manufactured  in  the  U.  S.  at  Berlin,  Conn. 

Queen's  College  (named  Rutgers  College  in  1825),  New 
Brunswick,  N.  J.,  established  in  the  interest  of  the  Dutch  Re 
formed  Church,  is  chartered. 

John  Murray,  the  father  of  Universalism  in  America,  arrives 
in  America  from  England. 

Whitefield dies  (30 Sep.)  at  Newburyport, Mass.,  aged  55  years. 

Rhode  Island  College  (named  Brown  University  in  1804,  in 
honor  of  Nicholas  Brown,  a  benefactor)  is  removeu  from 
Warren  to  Providence. 

The  total  exports  for  the  year  from  the  Colonies  to  Great 
Britain  are  $4.493,150;  the  imports,  $8,549,749. 
771.  A  dispute  arises  between  the  Slass.  House  of  Representatives 
and  the  Governor,  as  to  the  taxation  of  the  salaries  of  Crown 
officials,  and  the  House  is  prorogued  without  having  granted 
supplies. 

Frederick,  Lord  Baltimore,  dies  without  lawful  issue,  and 
devises  Maryland  to  a  natural  son,  Henry  Harford,  a  boy  at 
school. 

Tryon,  Governor  of  N.  Carolina,  with  a  body  of  volunteer 
militia,  marches  against  the  Regulators,  and  defeats  them  at 
Alamance  (16  May),  the  total  killed  and  wounded  being  200; 
six  of  the  Regulators  are  executed  for  high  treason. 

Tryon  is  made  Governor  of  New  York  (June),  and  Josiah 
Martin  is  made  Governor  of  N.  Carolina ;  he  successfully 
cultivates  the  good-will  of  the  Regulators. 

An  Order  in  Council  confirms  the  title  of  New  York  to  what 
is  now  Vermont;  New  York  insists  on  the  settlers  taking  out 
new  land-grants,  at  exhorbitant  fees;  disputes  arise  in  conse 
quence.  The  leaders  in  resistance  are  Ethan  Allen  and  Seth 
Warner,  and  their  followers  are  called  "  Green  Mountain  Boys." 

The  settlers  in  Tennessee  obtain  an  8  years'  lease  of  then- 
lands  from  the  Cherokees. 

The  Albany  Gazette,  the  first  newspaper  in  Albany,  is  started 
(Nov.). 

New  York  Province  has  148,174  whites  and  19.833  negroes: 
the  city,  21,863. 

:772.  Gov.  Tryon,  of  N.  Y.,  makes  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  settle 
the  dispute  with  the  Green  Mountain  Boys;  and  in  1773  goes  to 
England  to  lay  the  matter  before  the  Government. 

The  Crown  resolves  to  pay  the  fc'Uary  of  the  Governor  of 
Massachusetts  for  £M>  future;  the  -<**we  denounce*  thi*  as  « 


78  History  of  the   United  States. 

1772.  violation  ef  their  Charter,  aud  a  bribe  from  the  Crown  to  the 
Governor.  A  town-meeting  is  held  (28  Oct.),  at  which  a  Com 
mittee  is  appointed  to  -'•ate  the  rights  of  the  Colonists;  and  the 
infringements  of  them.  The  Committee  reports  the  following 
list  of  grievances:  the  attempts  to  tax  the  Colonies;  the  Act 
requiring  persons  to  be  sent  to  England  for  trial  in  certain 
cases;  the  restraints  on  Colonial  manufactures,  especially  wool 
and  iron;  and  the  alleged  scheme  to  establish  bishops  in  Am 
erica.  Franklin  has  the  report  printed  in  London,  with  a  pre 
face  of  his  own. 

Mrs.  Ann  Lee  (''Mother  Ann,"  the  founder  of  the  Shakers  in 
America)  emigrates  from  England  (May)  to  America  and  estab 
lishes  there  ''the  Church  of  Christ's  Second  Appearing." 

About  300  German  families  emigrate  from  Maine  to  S.  Caro 
lina.  About  6000  negroes  are  imported  into  S.  Carolina. 

The  revenue  schooner  Oaspe,  employed  in  Narragansett  Baj% 
having  become  obnoxious  to  the  people,  is  burnt  by  a  party 
from  Providence  (June);  a  reward  of  £600  is  offered  for  their 
discovery,  but  though  they  are  well  known,  no  legal  evidence 
can  be  obtained  against  them. 

In  the  English  Court  of  King's  Bench,  Lord  Mansfield,  in 
the  case  of  James  Somersett,  an  American  slave,  decides  (22 
June)  that  slavery  is  not  "  allowed  or  approved  by  the  law  of 
England,"  a  decision  which  liberates  about  14,000  or  15,000 
persons  in  England,  who  had  hitherto  been  deemed  slaves. 

Umbrellas  are  first  introduced  into  the  U.  S.,  from  India. 
I  "73.  Gov.  Hutchinson  objects  to  the  Boston  Committee's  report  as  a 
denial  of  the  supreme  authority  of  Parliament;  but  the  Council 
and  the  House  of  Representatives  reply,  maintaining  the  report. 
The  reply  is  sent  to  the  Virginia  Assembly,  then  in  session 
(Feb.),  which  appoints  a  Committee  (March)  to  investigate 
the  relations  of  the  Colonies,  and  to  correspond  with  the  other 
Colonies  on  the  subject;  Lord  Dunmore,  the  Governor,  dis 
solves  the  Assembly.  Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire,  Rhode 
Island,  Connecticut,  Pennsylvania,  and  Maryland  appoint  simi 
lar  Committees — the  first  steps  toward  the  political  union  of  the 
Colonies. 

Private  letters  written  by  Gov.  Hutchinson  disparaging  the 
popular  leaders  in  Massachusetts  are  made  public  there,  and  the 
General  Court  addresses  the  King  (9  June)  requesting  his  speedy 
removal. 

Connecticut  assumes  jurisdiction  over  the  Wyoming  settle 
ment,  and  incorporates  it  as  the  town  of  Westmoreland,  and 
part  of  the  county  of  Litchfiekl.  The  Pennsylvania  Assembly 
constitutes  the  same  region  the  county  of  Northumberland. 
The  dispute  is  taken  before  the  King  in  Council,  but  the  decision 
being  delayed,  Gov.  Penn  makes  unavailing  efforts  to  expel  the 
Connecticut  settlers.  Territorial  disputes  arise  between  Penn 
sylvania  and  Virginia  as  to  Pittsbuvg  and  the  district  west  of  the 
Laurel  Mountains. 

The  Maryland  Journal  andBalti'nore  Advertiser,  the  first  news 
paper  in  Baltimore,  is  issued  (20  Aug.). 

The  tea-tax  is  substantially  nullified  in  the  Colonies,  partly 
by  smuggling,  and  partly  by  non-importation  and  non-consump- 


History  of  the   United  States.  77 

1778.  tion  agreements.  In  England  a  drawback  of  the  whole  duty  is 
revived ;  and  the  East  India  Co.  is  allowed  to  export  tea  direct 
to  the  Colonies.  The  Colonies  take  immediate  steps  to  counter 
work  this  project.  A  public  meeting  (2  Oct.)  in  Philadelphia 
protests  against  taxation  by  Parliament,  and  denounces  "  who 
soever  shall  aid  or  abet  in  unloading,  receiving,  or  vending  the 
tea  "  as  "  an  enemy  to  his  country."  Town-meetings  are  held 
in  Boston  (3.  5,  17,  18  Nov.)  which  adopt  the  Philadelphia  reso 
lutions,  and  call  on  the  consignees  of  the  tea  to  resign;  and 
there  is  some  rioting.  The  consignees  petition  the  Governor 
and  Council  (19  Nov.)  to  take  measures  to  secure  the  tea;  before 
the  Council  arrive  at  a  decision  one  of  the  tea-ships  arrives  (27), 
and  the  Council  notify  the  Governor  (28 .  that  they  will  not  be 
parties  to  an  unconstitutional  attempt  to  levy  taxes. 

Neighboring  towns  sustain  Boston.  A  ' '  body ' '  of  people  of 
Boston  and  the  neighboring  towns  meet  at  Faneuil  Hall  (29). 
order  the  tea-ship  to  be  moored  at  a  certain  wharf,  and  appoint 
a  guard  of  25  to  watch  her.  Another  meeting  is  held 
(30),  and  the  owners  of  the  tea-ships  are  compelled  to 
promise  to  send  them  back.  The  Governor,  however,  refuses 
to  permit  a  clearance  till  the  cargo  is  landed.  Two  other  tea- 
ships  arrive  and  are  taken  into  the  people's  custody  like  the 
other.  The  "body"  reassembles  (14  Dec.)  and  demands  a 
clearance,  which  the  collector  refuses  till  the  cargoes  are  landed. 
The  Governor  refuses  a  similar  demand,  and  a  band  of  50  men, 
disguised  as  Mohawks,  board  the  tea-vessels  and  empty  the 
cargoes  of  342  chests  of  tea  into  the  harbor  (16  Dec.). 

At  Philadelphia  the  captain  of  a  tea-ship  is  persuaded  to  return 
to  England  without  attempting  to  land  his  cargo  (25  Dec.). 

A  steam-engine  is  constructed  hi  Philadelphia,  the  first  in 
America. 

I  /74  The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  objects  to  the  payment  of 
judges'  salaries  by  the  Crown;  4  of  the  five  judges  promise  to 
continue  to  take  their  pay  from  the  Province;  Oliver,  the  Chief  - 
Justice,  declines  to  do  this,  and  the  House  impeaches  him; 
Lieut.-Gov.  Hutchmson  then  prorogues  the  House. 

The  petition  of  Massachusetts  for  the  removal  of  Gov.  Hut- 
chinson  is  heard  before  the  Privy  Council  (29  Feb.),  and  dis 
missed  as  "groundless,  scandalous,  and  vexatious." 

On  the  action  of  Boston  with  regard  to  the  tea  becoming- 
known  in  England  (4  March),  Parliament,  at  the  instance  of 
Lord  North,  and  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  Burke,  passes  (25 
March)  the  "Boston  Port  BUI,"  shutting  up  Boston  Harbor, 
and  removing  the  seat  of  Government  to  Salem;  also  a  bill  for 
regulating  the  government  of  the  Province  which,  in  effect, 
abrogates  the  charter;  also  a  bill  providing  for  the  trial  in  Eng 
land  of  all  persons  charged  in  the  Colonies  with  murders  com 
mitted  in  support  of  the  Government.  Burke  moves  to  repeal 
the  tea-tax,  but  without  success. 

A  tea-ship  arrives  at  Sandy  Hook  (21  April),  but  the  pilots, 
under  instructions  from  the  city  Committee,  refuse  to  bring  her 
up,  and  a  "  Committee  of  Vigilauts  "  take  possession  of  her;  in 
*  few  days  she  returns  to  England.  Another  ship  arrives,  with 


78  History  of  the  United  States. 

1774.  18  chests  of  tea,  which  the  people  seize  and  empty  into  the 
river. 

A  tea-ship  arrives  at  Charleston,  S.  C.  (21  April);  the  tea  is 
landed,  but  being  stored  in  damp  cellars  soon  becomes  worthless. 

Gen.  Gage,  sent  over  as  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  with  4 
regiments,  arrives  in  Boston  (13  May).  Massachusetts  sends 
Paul  Revere,  a  Boston  mechanic  and  a  "  Son  of  Liberty,"  to 
New  York  and  Philadelphia  to  invoke  co-operation.  Public 
meetings  are  held  at  Providence  (17)  and  Newport  (20)  respond 
ing  to  Boston,  and  suggesting  a  Continental  Congress. 

"A  committee  meeting  in  New  York  proposes  a  "  Congress  of 
deputies  from  the  Colonies  "  (23  May),  and  writes  to  Boston 
asking  the  committee  there  to  fix  a  time  and  place  of  meeting. 
Similar  meetings  are  held  in  Philadelphia  (26),  Annapolis,  Md. 
(26),  and  Baltimore. 

The  Connecticut  Legislature  condemns  the  late  Acts  of  Par 
liament,  and  recommends  a  Continental  Congress  (24  May). 
The  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses  appoints  1  June  as  a  fast-day; 
and  Philadelphia  and  other  places  do  the  same.  Gov.  Dun- 
more  dissolves  the  Virginia  House  (26  May),  whereupon  most  of 
the  members  meet  (27)  and  declare  that  an  attack  on  one  Col 
ony  is  an  attack  on  all. 

The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  meets  at  Boston  (26  May) 
to  elect  counselors;  Gov.  Gage  adjourns  it  to  Salem,  where  it 
meets  (7  June),  and  recommends  entire  abstinence  from  British 
goods,  requests  the  Governor  to  appoint  a  fast-day,  and  on  his 
refusal  appoints  one  itself,  resolves  that  a  Colonial  Congres;  is 
necessary  in  order  to  consult  on  the  present  state  of  the  country, 
and  suggests  that  it  should  be  held  at  Phila.  on  the  1  Sep.  Gov, 
Gage,  hearing  of  these  proceedings,  dissolves  the  Court 
(17  June),  and  so  ends  the  last  provincial  General  Court  of  Mas 
sachusetts.  A  public  meeting  in  Boston  (8  June)  adopts  the; 
non-importation  and  non-consumption  agreement,  to  begin  : 
Oct..  Other  towns  hold  meetings  in  support  of  Massachusetts. 

Conventions  and  committees  meet  in  the  various  Colonies  anc 
appoint  delegates  to  the  Continental  Congress  (June-Aug.). 
Virginia  resolves  (1  Aug.)  to  import  no  more  slaves,  nor  British 
goods,  nor  tea;  N.  Carolina  passes  similar  resolutions  (24  Aug.). 

The  Governor  of  Massachusetts  appoints  counselors  under 
the  new  Act,  but  they  become  objects  of  popular  odium;  a  ses 
sion  of  the  superior  Court  is  broken  up,  and  Boston  juries  refuse 
to  be  sworn  (Aug.).  Gov.  Gage  removes  the  seat  of  government 
from  Salem  back  to  Boston ,  begins  to  fortify  Boston  Neck,  and 
sends  soldiers  to  Charlestown  to  seize  some  powder  belonging  to 
the  Province  (I  Sep.).  A  tumultuous  assembly  proceeds  from 
Middlesex  Co.  to  Cambridge,  and  compels  several  counselors  to 
resign.  A  Convention  held  at  Milton,  Suffolk  Co.  (9  Sep.), 
resolves  that  "  no  obedience  is  due  to  either  or  any  part  of  the 
recent  Acts  of  Parliament,  and  exhorts  all  tax-collectors  not  to 
pay  over  money  in  their  hands  till  a  new  government  is  organ 
ized  by  the  people  of  the  Province.  A  copy  of  the  resolution  is 
sent  to  the  Congress  at  Philadelphia. 

The  first  Continental  Congress,  of  53  delegates  from  12  Pro 
vinces  (Georgia  alone  being  unrepresented)',  meets,  at  Philadel- 


History  of  the   United  States.  79 

1774.  phia  (5  Sep.),  and  elects  Peyton  Randolph,  of  Va.,  president. 
The  proceedings  are  secret,  nothing  to  be  published  except  by 
order;  each  Province  is  to  have  one  vote.  On  receipt  of  the  Suf 
folk  resolutions,  Congress  resolves  to  support  Massachusetts. 
Congress  adopts  a  "  Declaration  of  Colonial  Rights."  claiming 
the  right  of  self-government,  and  enumerating  11  Acts  of  Par 
liament  passed  since  1760  which  derogate  from  the  rights  of  the 
Colonies;  it  founds  the  "American  Association"  denouncing 
the  slave-trade,  and  pledging  the  signers  to  non-intercourse  with 
Great  Britain,  Ireland,  and  the  West  Indies,  and  to  non-con 
sumption;  it  also  adopts  a  petition  to  the  King,  a  "  Memorial  to 
the  Inhabitants  of  British  America,"  an  "  Address  to  the  Peo 
ple  of  Great  Britain"  and  an  "  Address  to  the  Inhabitants  of 
Canada."  The  signature  of  the  "  American  Association  "  (20 
Oct.)  is  the  beginning  of  the  Union. 

The  Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives  resolves  itself 
into  a  "Provincial  Congress,"  appoints  a  "Committee  of 
Safety,"  with  power  to  call  out  the  militia,  and  orders  tax- 
collectors  to  pay  no  more  money  to  the  Government  Treasurer, 
but  to  pay  to  a  new  Treasurer  appointed  by  itself  (Oct.);  this 
Congress  virtually  becomes  the  Government  de  facto. 

An  Indian  war,  caused  by  the  murder  of  9  persons  belong 
ing  to  the  family  of  Chief  Logan,  breaks  out  on  the  frontiers  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia;  the  Indians  are  defeated  (10  Oct.) 
near  the  mouth  of  the Tvenhawa,  and  the  war  ends. 

The  Connecticut 'Assembly  orders  military  preparations  to 
resist  the  British  Government  (Nov.).  The  Massachusetts  Con 
gress  votes  (23  Nov.)  to  enrol  12,000  "  minute  men,"  and  issues 
directions  for  the  election  of  a  new  Provincial  Congress. 

The  colonists  of  Rhode  Island  seize  44  pieces  of  ordnance  on 
the  batteries  at  Newport,  and  take  them  to  Providence  (6  Dec.). 

A  large  party  enter  the  fort  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  and  cany 
off  100  barrels  of  powder,  and  some  cannon  and  small  arms  (13 
Dec.). 

The  Maryland  Convention  enrols  the  militia,  and  votes  £10,- 
000  to  purchase  arms  (Dec.). 

V775.  Chatham  proposes  conciliatory  measures  towards  the  American 
Colonies,  in  the  House  of  Lords,  7  Jan.,  but  they  are  rejected; 
in  the  Commons,  Lord  North  moves  an  address  to  the  King, 
declaring  the  inhabitants  of  Massachusetts  rebels,  Feb. ;  the 
Parliament  passes  bills  prohibiting  Americans  fishing  on  the 
banks  of  Newfoundland,  and  restraining  the  commerce  of  the 
New  England  Colonies,  March. 

A  committee  of  the  Virginia  Assembly  report  a  series  of 
resolutions  to  encourage  arts  and  manufactures,  particularly 
that  of  steel,  27  March. 

Gen.  Gage  musters  3000  British  troops  in  Boston  to  suppress 
any  insurrection,  1  April. 

The  Quakers  of  Philadelphia  form  the  lirst  anti-slavery 
society  in  the  U.  S.,  14  April. 

Gen.  Gage  secretly  despatches  a  force  of  800  men  to  seize  the 
stores  and  ammunition  gathered  by  the  patriots  at  Concord,  18 
April;  Dr.  Warren  becomes  informed  of  the  move,  and  Paul 
Revere  is  hastened  to  Concord  to  arouse  the  minute-men;  Pit- 


80  History  of  the  United  States. 

w» 

1775.  cairn,  with  the  advance-guard  of  the  expedition,  reaches 
Lexington  at  dawn,  19,  and  flnds  70  minute-men,  under  Capt. 
Parker,  drawn  up  to  oppose  him;  Pitcairn  calls  the  patriots 
rebels  and  orders  them  to  disperse;  on  their  refusal  he  com 
mands  his  men  to  fire,  and  the  first  blood  of  the  Revolution  is 
spilt;  eight  patriots  are  killed,  several  wounded,  and  the  rest 
scattered;  after  destroying  the  stores  at  Concord,  the  British 
hastily  retreat  to  Lexington,  pursued  by  the  minute-men,  where 
Lord  Percy,  with  900  men,  comes  to  their  aid,  and  the  whole 
force  moves  to  Boston. 

Gov.  Diminore,  of  -Va.,  seizes  and  conveys  to  a  British  man- 
of-war  a  lot  of  gunpowder  belonging  to  the  Colony,  20  April; 
Patrick  Henry,  at  the  head  of  an  armed  body  of  citizens, 
demands  of  the  Governor,  and  recovers,  the  powder. 

The  citizens  of  Xe\v  York  appoint  a  committee  of  100,  and 
invest  it  with  the  charge  of  municipal  affairs,  pending  instruc 
tions  from  the  Colonial  Congress,  5  May. 

A  number  of  volunteers  from  Connecticut  and  Vermont, 
under  Cols.  Ethan  Allen  and  Benedict  Arnold,  surprise  the 
British  at  the  fortress  of  Ticonderoga  and  capture  it,  10  May; 
Col.  Seth  Warner,  with  a  few  men,  captures  the  Crown  Point 
fortress,  both  on  Lake  Champlain,  12;  nearly  150  pieces  of 
cannon  and  much  needed  military  stores  fall  into  patriot  hands 
by  these  successes. 

The  second  Continental  Congress  meets  in  Philadelphia,  10 
May;  John  Hancock  is  chosen  President,  24;  the  delegates 
resolve  to  resist  further  tyranny,  vote  to  raise  an  army  of  20,000 
men,  and  elect  George  Washington  Commander-in-Chief  of  all 
the  colonial  forces,  15  June;  the  following  officers  are  appointed 
to  aid  him:  Artemus  Ward,  Charles  Lee,  Philip  Schuvler,  and 
Israel  Putnam,  Major-Generals;  Horatio  Gates,  Adjutant- 
General;  and  Seth  Pomeroy,  Richard  Montgomery,  David 
Wooster,  WilUam  Heath,  Joseph  Spencer,  John  Thomas,  and 
Nathaniel  Greene,  Brigadier-Generals;  in  the  meantime  (20 
May),  Articles  of  Union  and  Confederation  art1  agreed  upon  by 
the  delegates  from  the  thirteen  colonies.. 

Citizens  of  North  Carolina  in  convention  a*-  Charlotte,  Meck- 
lenberg  County,  declare  themselves  independent  of  the  British 
Crown,  organize  a  local  government,  and  begin  preparations 
for  a  military  defense,  20  May. 

The  British  Generals,  Howe,  Clinton,  and  Burgoyne,  arrive  at 
Boston  from  England,  with  reinforcements,  25  May;  the  British 
force  now  numbers  nearly  12, 000  men,  besides  several  war-ves 
sels,  under  Admiral  Graves.  Gen.  Gage  issue*  a  proclamation, 
offering  the  King's  pardon  to  all  rebels  (except  John  Hancock 
and  Samuel  Adams)  who  will  at  once  resume  peaceful  occupa 
tions,  10  June.  At  the  same  time  he  plans  a  march  to  the 
interior,  the  details  of  which  being  reported  to  Gen.  Ward,  that 
patriot  sends  Col.  Prescott,  16,  with  1000  men  to  fortify  Bunk 
er's  Hill;  Prescott  erects  a  redoubt  on  Breed's  Hill,  by  mistake, 
within  cannon-shot  of  Boston;  the  British  attack  the  works, 
17,  from  their  naval  vessels  and  the  Copp's  Hill  fort,  while  Gen. 
Howe  leads  a  storming  party  of  3000  men;  the  Americans 
resist  two  charges,  but  give  way  before  the  third,  in  which 


History  of  the  United  States.  81 

1775.  Clinton  joins  Howe  with  fresh  troops,  and  retreat  to  Prospect 
Hill;  the  British  lose  in  killed  and  wounded  over  1000,  and  the 
Americans,  450,  Gen.  Warren  being  among  the  killed. 

Acting  on  instructions  from  the  Provincial  Congress,  Capt. 
Lamb,  with  a  party  of  Liberty  Boys,  removes  a  number  of  guns 
from  the  Battery,  in  New  York,  in  the  face  of  a  heavy  fire  from 
the  British  war-vessel  Asia,  23  Aug. 

Gen.  Washington  sends  a  body  of  New  York  and  New  Eng 
land  troops  under  Gens.  Schuyler  and  Montgomery  into  Canada 
to  cut  off  British  supplies,  Aug.;  Montgomery  lays  siege  to  St. 
John  and  is  stubbornly  resisted  for  over  a  month ;  Col.  Ethan 
Allen,  with  80  men,  attacks  Montreal,  25  Sept.,  and  is  repulsed, 
taken  prisoner,  and  sent  to  England;  another  force,  under  Col. 
Bedell,  capture  the  stronghold  at  Chambly,  30  Oct.,  while  a 
third,  under  Col.  Warner,  repulse  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  Governor 
of  Canada,  at  Longueil,  near  Montreal,  1  Nov.;  Gen.  Prescott, 
Commander  at  St.  John,  alarmed  at  the  Governor's  defeat,  sur 
renders  his  post  to  Montgomery,  3  Nov.;  tl*e  Americans  press 
toward  Montreal,  and  under  Montgomery  enter  the  city,  13, 
Governor  Carleton  escaping  on  a  vessel  to  Quebec;  at  this  time 
750  men  under  Arnold  ascend  to  the  Plains  of  Abraham  and 
demand  the  surrender  of  Quebec;  fearing  a  sortie,  Arnold  falls 
back  and  is  joined,  1  Dec.  by  Montgomery;  they  attempt  to 
carry  the  city  by  assault,  31,  but  are  defeated;  Montgomery  is 
killed,  Arnold  wounded,  and  the  Americans  under  Morgan  sur 
render;  the  American  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  is  150,  and 
the  British,  20. 

Peyton  Randolph,  of  Va.,  first  President  of  the  Continental 
Congress,  dies  22  Oct. 

Lord  Dunrnore,  with  a  British  fleet,  is  repulsed  at  Hampton, 
Va.,  24  Oct.,  and  declares  open  war;  the  local  militia  take  the 
field,  and  he  is  again  defeated,  9  Dec.,  at  the  Great  Bridge, 
near  Norfolk;  five  days  later  the  Virginians,  under  Col.  Wood- 
ford,  take  possession  of  Norfolk;  Col.  Robert  Howe  arrives 
with  North  Carolina  militia  and  assumes  chief  command,  15. 

Daniel  Boone  settles  in  Kentucky,  at  Boonesbury. 

The  Continental  Congress  passes  an  Act  ordering  the  build 
ing  of  thirteen  vessels,  three  of  24  guns,  five  of  28,  and  five  of 
82,  and  appoints  Ezekiel  Hopkins  Commander-in-Chief. 

A  postal  route  is  established  and  Benjamin  Franklin  is 
appointed  the  first  Postmaster-General. 

The  first  issue  of  Continental  money  is  made  this  year. 

1776.  Washington  unfurls  the  first  Union  flag,  1  Jan. 

Lord  Dunmore  sets  fire  to  Norfolk,  Va.,  and  bombards  the 
place  while  the  fire  rages,  1  Jan. 

Thomas  Paine  writes,  8  Jan.:  "  Lt-c  a  Continental  Conference 
be  held,  to  form  a  Continental  Charter,  drawing  the  line  of 
business  and  jurisdiction  between  Members  of  Congress  and 
Members  of  the  Assembly,  always  remembering  that  our 
strength  and  happiness  are  continental,  not  provincial." 

Paine  publishes  "Common  Sense"  at  Phila.  (Jan.);  100,000 
copies  of  it  are  sold. 

Gen.  Charles  Lee  is  sent  (Jan.)  with  1200  troops  to  NewYork; 
he  enters  the  city  the  same  ^ay  that  Gen.  Sir  Henry  Clinton 


82  History  of  the  United  States. 

1776.  arrives  at  Sandy  Hook  with  a  fleet  (March) ;  Clintoa  sails 
southward,  and  Lee,  being  succeeded  by  Gen.  Putnam,  7 
March,  hastens  to  thwart  Clinton's  designs  in  the  Carolines  ; 
Washington  reaches  New  York,  14  April,  and  fortifies  the  town 
and  its  approaches. 

The  North  Carolina  militia,  under  Col.  Caswell,  defeat  1500 
loyalists  on  Moore's  Creek,  27  Feb. 

Congress  appoints  an  embassy,  consisting  of  Benjamin  Frank 
lin,  Silas  Deane,  and  Arthur  Lee  (March),  to  proceed  to  France 
to  solicit  foreign  sympathy  and  aid;  and  establishes  a  regular 
embassy  at  that  Court,  22  Sep. 

Washington  proposes  an  assault  on  the  British  at  Boston,  1 
March;  he  opens  a  heavy  cannonade  from  all  the  American 
batteries,  2;  Dorchester  Heights  are  occupied  by  an  intrench 
ing  force,  4,  and  a  line  of  fortifications  commanding  the  city 
and  harbor  is  hastily  constructed;  a  heavy  storm  prevents  Gen. 
Howe  attacking  the  Americans  with  his  fleet,  and  he  is  forced 
to  evacuate  the  town  with  over  7000  troops,  17;  Washington 
immediately  enters  the  city,  garrisons  it,  and  sends  the  main 
body  of  his  army  to  New  York. 

Constitutions  are  adopted  by  South  Carolina,  26  March;  New 
Jersey,  2  July;  Virginia,  5  July;  Maryland,  14  Aug.;  Dela 
ware,  20  Sep.;  Pennsylvania,  28  Sep.;  and  North  Carolina,  18 
Dec. 

A  large  British  fleet,  under  Admiral  Sir  Peter  Parker,  arrives 
off  Charleston,  S.  C.,  4  June;  Clinton,  who  hurried  from  New 
York  on  the  approach  of  Lee,  makes  a  landing  the  same  day 
on  Long  Island,  near  Sullivan's  Island,  S.  C.,  and  Lee,  also  by 
forced  marches,  reaches  Charleston  the  same  day ;  the  citizens 
had  erected  a  palmetto- wood  fort  on  Sullivan's  Island,  which  was 
mounted  with  26  guns  and  manned  by  500  troops  under  Col. 
Moultrie;  the  British  make  an  attack  by  land  and  water  on  the 
fort,  28  June;  Clinton  is  prevented  landing,  and  the  fort 
delivers  such  a  telling  lire  upon  the  fleet  tha£  after  a  ten  hours' 
struggle,  the  vessels  withdraw;  the  royal  Governor  of  South 
Carolina  is  fatally,  and  Admiral  Parker  seriously,  wounded;  the 
British  lose  in  killed  and  wounded  225,  and  the  Americans,  2 
killed  and  22  wounded;  during  the  fight,  young  Sergeant 
Jasper  distinguishes  himself  by  replacing  the  flag,  which  had 
been  shot  away,  on  a  new  staff  upon  the  bastion;  the  British 
leave  for  New  York,  31. 

Richard  Henry  Lee  introduces  a  resolution  into  the  Congress, 
7  June,  declaring  that  "  the  United  Colonies  are,  and  ought  to 
be,  free  and  independent  States;  that  they  are  absolved  fro  in  all 
allegiance  to  the  British  Crown;  and  that  their  political  connec 
tion  with  Great  Britain  is  and  ought  to  be  totally  dissolved.  " 
Seven  of  the  thirteen  Colonies  vote  in  favor  of  the  resolution; 
a  committee  is  appointed  to  draw  up  a  declaration  in  harmony 
with  the  resolution,  consisting  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  Va.;  John 
Adams,  Mass,;  Benjamin  Franklin,  Perm.;  Roger  Sherman, 
Conn.;  and  Robert  R.  Livingston,  N.  Y.,  11;  Jefferson  is  chosen 
chairman  and  assigned  to  prepare  the  declaration;  the  Lee 
resolution  is  taken  up  for  consideration,  1  July,  and  the  declara 
tion  is  submitted  the  same  day;  the  resolution  is  adopted  by  a 


Histvry  of  the  United  States.  83 

1776.  large  majority,  2,  and  the  Declaration  of  Independence  receives 
a  unanimous  support,  4. 

Gen.  Howe  arrives  at  Sandy  Hook  from  Halifax,  25  June, 
and  takes  possession  of  Staten  Island,  2  July;  he  is  joined  by 
his  brother,  Admiral  Lord  Howe,  12,  and  by  the  forces  of  Clin 
ton  from  the  south,  and  musters  a  disciplined  army  of  24,000 
men.  Washington  collects  20,000  raw  militia  in  New  York- 
he  orders  the  Declaration  of  Independence  to  be  read  to  the 
army,  10  July,  after  which  the  populace  overthrow  the  Statue 
of  George  III.  in  the  Bowling  Green  and  drag  it  through  the 
streets.  Washington  fortifies  the  water  front,  places  Gen. 
Greene  in  command  on  Long  Island,  and  Gen.  Putnam  at 
Brooklyn.  Howe  lands  10,000  men  and  forty  pieces  of 
cannon  on  Long  Island,  22  August,  and  moves  in  three 
divisions,  the  left  under  Grant  towards  Gowanus,  the  right 
under  Clinton  and  Cornwallis  toward  the  interior,  and  the 
centre  under  De  Heister  up  the  Flatbush  road  ;  a  conflict 
takes  place,  27,  at  Flatbush;  Sullivan  is  surrounded,  over 
powered,  and  forced  to  surrender;  Stirling  is  made  prisoner  at 
Gowanus;  and  by  noon -the  British  achieve  a  signal  victory; 
the  Americans  lose  500  in  killed  and  wounded,  ancf  1100  prison 
ers.  JVashington  crosses  over,  28,  and  directs  an  unperceived 
retreat  to  New  York;  at  a  council  of  war,  12  Sep.,  It  is  deter 
mined  to  retreat  to  and  fortify  Harlem  Heights;  the  British 
cross  from  Long  Island  and  occupy  New  York,  15;  they  are 
defeated  by  the  Americans  on  Harlem  Plains,  16;  Howe  sends 
vessels  up  the  Hudson,  20,  and  moves  his  army  of  35,000  men 
into  Westchester  County;  the  two  armies  engage  at  White 
Plains,  28  Oct.,  and  the  Americans  are  driven  from  their  posi 
tion;  Washington  crosses  the  Hudson,  12  Nov.,  to  Fort  Lee; 
the  British  capture  Fort  Washington,  16,  losing  1000  men  and 
taking  over  2,000  prisoners;  the  Americans  abandon  Fort  Lee, 
18,  which  Cornwallis  occupies  with  6,000  men;  he  successively 
gains  Newark,  New  Brunswick,  Princeton,  and  Trenton"; 
the  retreating  Americans  cross  the  Delaware  at  Trenton  just 
as  the  British  reach  the  town,  8  Dec.;  Washington  recruits  his 
army,  and  with  2400  men  he  re-crosses  the  Delaware  at  McKon- 
key's  Ferry,  above  Trenton,  25  Dec.,  and  surprises  the  Hessian 
troops  in  that  town,  26,  taking  over  1000  prisoners,  besides  a 
large  amount  of  ammunition,  guns,  and  stores;  he  again  crosses 
the  river  the  same  night;  but  returns,  30. 

The  Algerines  take  94  prisoners  from  American  ships,  12 
July. 

A  great  fire  breaks  out  near  Whitehall  Slip,  New  York,  21 
Sep.,  and  destroys  a  quarter  of  the  city,  including  Trinity 
Church. 

Washington  engages  Capt.  Nathan  Hale  to  make  secret  obser 
vations  in  the  British  camps  on  Long  Island;  he  is  captured 
and  executed  as  a  spy,  22  Sep. 

The  first  Society  of  Shakers  in  the  U.  S.  settles  at  Watervliet, 
N.  Y.,  Sep. 

Sir  Peter  Parker  enters  Narragansett  Bay,  takes  possession  of 
Rhode  Island,  and  blockades  the  American  fleet  at  Providence, 
8  Dec. 


84  History  of  tfM  &nite<X  States. 

1776.  Congress  adjourns  from  Philadelphia  to  Baltimore,  13  Dec. 
Rev.  John  Carroll,  Charles  Carroll,  Benjamin  Franklin,  and 

Samuel  Chase  are  sent  by  Congress  on  a  political  mission  to 
Canada. 

Pennsylvania  is  purchased  from  the  Penn  family  by  the  com 
monwealth.  Paine  publishes  at  Philadelphia  the  first  number 
of  "  The  Crisis  "  (19  Dec.). 

All  the  leaders  of  the  Methodist  Societies  return  to  England, 
except  Francis  Asbury,  who  is  protected  by  Judge  White,  of 
Delaware. 

Hampden-Sidney  College,  Prince  Edward  Co.,Va.,  is  founded. 

1777.  Washington  is  joined  at  Trenton  by  the  troops  of  Gens.  Cadwal- 

ader  and  Mifflin,  1  Jan.;  Cornwallis  appears  in  force  from 
Princeton,  2,  and  slight  skirmishing  occurs;  Washington  begins 
intrenching,  the  enemy  defers  an  attack  until  the  following  day ; 
at  night,  Washington  silently  withdraws  from  Trenton,  and  at 
dawn,  3,  he  comes  up  to  Cornwallis's  reserve  at  Princeton;  the 
Americans  attack,  the  British  charge,  Washington  leads  a  dis 
ciplined  corps  to  the  field,  and  achieves  a  splendid  victory; 
Cornwallis,  surprised  at  the  deserted  Trenton  camp  and  hearing 
the  firing  at  Princeton,  hastens  to  aid  his  reserve  and  protect  his 
stores  at  New  Brunswick;  Washington  goes  into  winter-quarters 
with  his  fatigued  troops  at  Morristown.  N.  J.;  American  skir 
mishing  parties  take  possession  of  Newark,  Elizabethtown,  and 
Woodbridge,  drive  the  Hessians  in  confusion  to  Staten  Island, 
and  harass  the  enemy  throughout  the  spring. 

Georgia  adopts  a  constitution,  5  Feb. 

Letters  of  Marque  and  Reprisal  are  granted  by  England 
against  American  ships,  6  Feb. 

Gov.  Tryon,  of  N.Y.,  with  2000  British  and  Tories,  invades 
Connecticut,  destroys  a  large  quantity  of  American  stores  at 
Danbury,  and  burns  the  town,  26  April;  on  the  following  day 
he  lias  an  engagement  with  the  militia  near  Ridgefleld,  and  is 
driven  to  the  coast,  embarking  under  a  heavy  fire'  Tryon  loses 
about  300  men  and  the  Americans  150,  including  Gen.  Wooster, 
lolled. 

Col.  Meigs,  with  a  force  of  170  men,  crosses  the  Sound  from 
Guilford,  Conn.,  in  whaleboats,  22  May,  attacks  the  British 
provision  station  at  Sag  Harbor,  barns  a  number  of  vessels  an<J 
the  storehouses  with  their  contents,  takes  90  prisoners,  and 
escapes  without  losing  a  man. 

Button  Gwinnett,  of  Ga.,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  dies,  27  May. 

Gen.  Howe,  passing  from  winter-quarters  in  New  York,  con- 
centrates  nearly  his  entire  army  at  New  Brunswick,  12  June; 
he  makes  several  attempts  to  entice  Washington  to  battle,  and 
nearly  succeeds.  26,  but  suddenly  evacuates  New  Jersey  and 
places  his  entire'army  on  Staten  Island,  30. 

The  Stars  and  Stripes  are  adopted  by  Congress  as  the  patriot 
flag,  14  June. 

Gen.  Burgoyne,  with  over  10,000  troops,  begins  the  invest 
ment  of  Ticonderoga,  where  Gen.  St.  Clair  has  a  garrison  of 
3000  men,  2  July;  the  British  erect  works  and  plant  guns  011 
the  summit  of  Mt.  Defiance,  5,  and  that  night  the  Americans, 


History  of  the  United  States,  85 

unable  to  cope  with  the  enemy,  undertake  a  secret  retreat,  but 
their  baggage,  stores,  and  provisions  are  overtaken  and  des 
troyed  at  Skeenesborough,  while  the  rear  division  of  the  army 
is  routed  at  Hubbardtown  after  an  obstinate  action,  7;  tin- 
remnants  of  the  army  reaches  Fort  Edward,  Gen.  Schuyler* 
headquarters,  12;  having  only  4000  men  to  oppose  Burgoyne's 
force,  Gen.  Schuyler  evacuates  the  fort,  29,andwithThaddeu$ 
Kosciuszko,  a  Polish  refugee,  as  engineer,  retreats  down  the 
Hudson  valley  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mohawk,  where  he  estab 
lishes  a  fortified  camp;  Burgoyne  reaches  Fort  Edward,  30,  and 
sends  a  force  to  capture  the  provisions  stored  at  Bennington. 
Vt.,  by  the  Americans;  Col.  Stark,  at  the  head  of  the  New 
Hampshire  militia,  defeats  this  force,  while  Col.  Warner  defeats 
a  strong  reinforcement  the  same  day,  16  Aug.,  the  enemy 
losing  700,  mainly  prisoners,  in  the  two  engagements. 

Col.  William  Barton,  with  40  militiamen,  crosses  Narragansctt 
Bay  in  whaleboats,  and  silently  penetrates  to  the  quarters  oi 
Gen.  Prescott,  the  British  commander  hi  Rhode  Island,  10 
July;  the  General  is  seized  in  bed,  and  conveyed  through  his 
own  troops  and  fleet  across  the  bay  to  Warwick. 

The  Marquis  de  Lafayette  comes  to  the  aid  of  the  Americans 
in  a  vessel  fitted  out  at  his  own  expense,  July;  he  volunteers 
his  services  to  the  Congress,  by  whom  he  is  voted  a  commission 
of  Major-General,  31;  he  is  introduced  to  Washington,  3  Aug., 
and  is  at  once  attached  to  the  personal  staff. 

Admiral  Howe,  leaving  Gen.  Clinton  in  command  at  New 
York,  embarks  with  18,000  men,  23  July,  and  sails  for  the  Dela 
ware  capes;  Washington  pushes  forward  tov  Philadelphia  with 
the  main  body  of  his  troops;  Howe,  instead  of  going  up  tht- 
Delaware,  ascends  Chesapeake  Bay,  disembarks  at  Elkton,  Md., 
25  Aug.,  and  marches  toward  Philadelphia;  the  British  move 
in  two  columns  against  the  American  position,  11  Sep.,  the 
Hessians  attacking  at  Chad's  Ford,  while  the  bulk  of  the  army 
crosses  the  forks  of  Brandywine  Creek  above,  forcing  the 
American  right,  under  Sullivan,  to  give  way;  the  contest  lasts 
the  entire  day  and  results  in  the  enemy's  success;  the  Americans 
retreat  to  Chester  at  night  and  to  Philadelphia  the  next  day; 
the  American  loss  is  about  1200  killed, wounded,  and  prisoners, 
and  the  British  total  about  800;  Count  Pulaski,  a  Polish  volun 
teer,  so  distinguishes  himself  in  the  action,  that  Congress  votes 
him  a  commission  of  Brigadier-General  and  gives  him  command 
of  the  cavalry;  Washington  re-crosses  the  Schuylkill  and 
advances  against  Howe,  near  Goshen,  16,  but  a  storm  prevents 
a  battle;  four  days  later,  Gen.  Wayne  is  surprised  by  a  British 
and  Hessian  force,  under  Gen.  Grey,  at  Paoli,  and  loses  300 
men;  Washington  abandons  Philadelphia  to  save  his  military 
stores  at  Heading;  Congress  flees  at  the  approach  of  the  British . 
who  occupy  the  city,  26,  and  reassembles  at  Lancaster,  27,  and 
York,  30;  Howe  encamps  at  German  town  and  prepares  to  makt 
Philadelphia  his  winter  quarters. 

Fort  Stanwix,  commanded  by  Col.  Gansevoort,  is  invested,  3 
Aug.,  by  Col.  St.  Leo-er  with  a  mixed  party  of  Mohawk  Indians, 
under  Brant,  and  Tories;  Gen.  Herkimer,  while  rallying  the 
gaiiitia  to  (ransevoort'a  aid,  falls  into  <m  Indian  ambuscade  *p 


86  History  of  the  United!  States, 

1777.  Oriskany.  6,  where  his  party  is  defeated  and  himself  mortally 
wounded;  the  same  day,  a  portion  of  the  garrison,  under  Col. 
Willet,  make  a  successful  sortie;  St.  Leger  raises  the  siege  at 
the  approach  of  Arnold  and  flees,  22. 

Distressed  for  want  of  food,  Burgoyne  crosses  the  Hudson, 
13,  14  Sep.,  and  encamps  on  the  heights  and  plains  of  Saratoga; 
the  Americans,  under  Gen.  Gates,  have  advanced  to  Stillwater, 
seeing  which,  Burgoyne  determines  on  an  attack  and  moves  to 
within  two  miles  of  Gates,  18;  a  severe  action  occurs  on  Bemis's 
Heights,  19,  terminating  indecisively  at  dark;  Burgoyne, 
alarmed  at  receiving  no  reinforcements  from  Gen.  Clinton, 
boldly  risks  a  second  battle,  7  Oct.,  almost  on  the  same  ground, 
and  is  compelled  to  fall  back  upon  Saratoga;  the  Americans 
cut  off  his  retreat,  and  force  the  surrender  of  his  whole  army, 
17;  a  large  train  of  brass  artillery,  5000  muskets,  an  immense 
amount  of  r  mnitions  of  war,  and  6000  of  the  flower  of  the 
British  armr  as  prisoners  reward  and  cheer  the  Americans, 
besides  giving  them  a  prestige  sadly  needed  at  the  time. 

Gen.  Clinton,  hastening  to  the  relief  of  Burgoyne, with 3000 
men,  assaults  and  captures  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery,  0 
Oct.,  and  burns  the  village  of  Kingston,  13;  learning  of  the 
surrender,  he  immediately  retreats  to  New  York;  Ticonderoga 
and  all  the  forts  on  the  northern  frontier  are  abandoned  to  the 
Americans. 

Forts  Mifflin  and  Mercer,  on  opposite  sides  of  the  Delaware, 
below  Philadelphia,  are  attacked,  22  Oct.;  Fort  Mercer  is 
attacked  by  2000  Hessians,  under  Count  Donop,  and  the  small 
garrison,  under  Lieut. -Col. -Greene,  of  R.  I.,  repulse  the  charge 
at  a  heavy  loss;  the  attack  on  Fort  Mifflin  is  at  first  unsuccess 
ful,  but  after  resisting  several  charges  the  garrison  abandon  it 
and  retire  to  Fort  Mercer,  which  is  also  abandoned,  18  Nov.;  a 
portion  of  the  British  fleet  sail  unmolested  up  to  Philadelphia, 
20. 

The  report  of  the  committee  appointed  by  Congress  to  draw 
up  a  plan  of  confederation  is  adopted,  15  Nov. 

Gen.  Howe  retires  to  winter-quarters  at  Philadelphia,  8  Dec., 
and  Gen.  Washington  to  Valley  Forge,  11. 

1773.  During  this  winter,  the  waters  of  New  York  Bay  are  fro/en  so 
thick  that  the  British  take  heavy  cannon  from  Staten  Island 
to  the  city  on  the  ice. 

Philip  Livingston,  of  N.  Y.,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  dies,  12  Jan. 

France  acknowledges  the  independence  of  the  American 
Colonies,  and  the  King  signs  a  treaty  of  alliance  and  commerce 
with  the  American  Embassy,  6  Feb.;  the  alliance  clause  is 
regarded  as  a  declaration  of  war  by  France  against  Great 
Britain,  and  the  two  nations  begin  to  prepare  for  hostilities. 

Lord  North,  the  British  Prime  Minister,  introduces  two  bills 
into  Parliament,  17  Feb.,  by  which  Britain  virtually  concedes 
all  that  has  been  the  cause  of  controversy  with  the  Americans, 
and  offers  more  than  they  had  asked  previous  to  their  Indepen 
dence  Declaration;  the  bills  are  passed  after  much  opposition, 
<nd  the  King  signs  them,  1  \  March.  The  Earl  of  Carlisle,  George 
ifohnstone,  and  William  iXlen  are  appointed  Commissioner^ 


History  of  the  United  State*,  87 

1778.  with  Prof.  Adam  Ferguson,  as  secretary ,  to  proceed  to  America 
and  negotiate  a  peace  with  Congress;  a  copy  of  the  bills 
reaches  Congress,  15  April,  and  the  Commissioners  arrive,  4 
June;  Congress  promptly  rejects  the  bills,  and  refuses  any 
negotiation  until  Great  Britain  withdraws  her  fleets  and  armies, 
and  in  clear  terms  acknowledges  the  independence  of  the  Col 
onies. 

The  British  Ministry  is  officially  informed,  17  March,  of  the 
French  treaty  with  the  Americans,  and  immediately  orders  the 
evacuation  of  Philadelphia  and  the  Delaware,  and  the  concen 
tration  of  troops  and  fleets  at  New  York. 

The  French  Government  orders,  18  April,  a  squadron  of  12 
ships  of  the  line  and  four  large  frigates,  under  Count  D'Esta- 
ing,  to  blockade  the  British  fleet  in  the  Delaware;  the  fleet 
arrives,  8  July,  but  Admiral  Howe,  who  had  received  the  min 
isterial  orders,  had  left  a  few  days  previously  and  anchored  his 
fleet  at  Amboy. 

Gen.  Howe  is  succeeded  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  as  General-in- 
Chief  of  the  British  forces,  in  the  latter  part  of  May;  Clinton 
withdraws  the  entire  army  from  Philadelphia,  18  June,  and 
starts  for  New  York;  Washington  is  anxious  to  attack  him 
while  in  New  Jersey;  his  council  of  officers  overrule  his  opin 
ion,  but  when  the  British  reach  Monmouth,  he  orders  Gen.  Lee 
to  attack  their  rear;  Lafayette's  cavalry  advance,  28,  but  Corn- 
wallis  and  Clinton  charge  them  to  a  retreat;  Lee  loses  his  head 
and  orders  a  retreat,  and  while  the  Americans  are  fleeing, 
Washington  comes  up  and  severely  orders  Lee  to  rally  his  troops; 
shortly  afterwards  the  battle  becomes  general  and  rages  until 
dark;  during  the  night,  the  British  silently  retreat,  leaving  300 
killed  on  the  field;  the  Americans  lose  about  70;  on  the  follow 
ing  day  Lee  is  arrested,  tried  by  Court-martial  for  disobedience, 
misbehavior,  and  disrespect  to  Washington,  found  guilty,  and 
suspended  from  command;  Washington  goes  into  camp  at 
Middlebrook,  on  the  Raritan. 

Col.  John  Butler,  with  a  force  of  some  one  thousand  six 
hundred  Tories  and  Indians,  enters  the  Wyoming  Valley, 
Penn.,  2  July,  and  spread  terror  through  the  flourishing  settle 
ments;  Col.  Zebulon  Butler,  with  a  force  of  400  soldiers, 
marches  up  the  valley  to  check  the  invaders,  4,  but  is  attacked 
and  overpowered,  losing  nearly  his  whole  force;  nearly  the 
entire  garrison  at  the  Wyoming  fort  are  killed  during  a  siege, 
and  the  survivors,  with  women  and  children,  are  shut  up  in  the 
barracks  and  burned  to  death;  the  invaders  then  ravage  all  the 
settlements  with  fire,  sword,  and  the  tomahawk. 

Major  George  Rogers  Clarke  leads  an  expedition  against  the 
British  and  their  Indian  allies  in  the  wilderness  of  the  far  nortn- 
west;  he  captures  Kaskaskia,  4  July,  the  village  of  Cahokia.  9, 
and  the  strong  British  post  of  Vincennes,  011  the  Wabash,  Aug. 

The  French  fleet  appears  off  Sandy  Hook,  11  July,  but  being 
unable  to  pass  the  bar  to  attack  the  British  fleet  at  New  York. 
it  goes  to  Newport,  R.  I.,  to  dislodge  the  British  there;  Admiral 
Howe,  reinforced  by  ships  from  England,  hastens  to  the  relief 
of  Gen.  Pigot;  an  American  expedition  under  Gens.  Sullivan, 
Greene,  and  Lafayette,  crosses  the  bay  and  lands  on  the  northern 


88  History  of  the   United  States. 

1778.  part  of  Rhode  Island,  9  Aug. ;  on  the  following  day,  a  projected 
land  and  sea  movement  against  the  British  is  frustrated  by  a 

great  storm,  which  parts  and  seriously  damages  the  fleets;  the 
ritish  fleet  returns  to  New  York,  the  French  goes  to  Boston,  and 
Gen.  Sullivan  is  forced  to  withdraw,  having  on  his  way  a  suc 
cessful  encounter  with  Pigot's  troops  at  Quaker  Hill,  29. 

New  York  is  visited  by  its  second  great  fire,  9  Aug.;  it  begins 
in  Pearl,  near  Broad  Street,  and  rages  with  fury  several  hours, 
consuming  300  buildings  ;  it  is  finally  extinguished  by  the  mili 
tary,  as  all  the  fire  companies  have  been  disbanded;  on  the  same 
day,  the  British  powder-ship  Morning  Star  is  struck  by  light 
ning  and  blown  up,  the  explosion  damaging  many  buildings 
along  the  shore. 

Clinton  sends  Gen.  Grey  on  an  expedition  upon  the  southerr 
shores  of  Massachusetts  and  among  the  adjoining  islands;  Grey 
arrives  in  Buzzard's  Bay,  a  rendezvous  of  American  privateers, 
5  Sep.,  and  burns  70  vessels,  then  destroys  $323,000  worth  of 
property  in  New  Bedford  and  Fair  Haven,  and  descending  on 
Martha's  Vineyard,  7,  seizes  300  oxen  and  10,000  sheep,  which 
he  takes  to  New  York;  Capt.  Ferguson  sails,  30  Sep.  for  Little 
Egg  Harbor,  N.  J.,  where  he  captures  a  large  amount  of 
American  stores.  ( 

The  French  fleet  sails  to  attack  the  British  possessions  in  the 
West  Indies,  3  Nov.,  and  on  the  same  day,  Admiral  Hotham 
(British)  sails  from  Sandy  Hook  to  intercept  it;  Admiral  Byron, 
who  has  succeeded  Admiral  Howe,  sails  for  the  same  destina 
tion  early  in  Dec. 

A  party  of  Tories  under  Walter  N.  Butler,  son  of  Col.  John 
Butler,  and  of  Indians  under  Brant,  suddenly  descend  upon 
the  settlement  of  Cherry  Valley,  N.  Y.,  11,  12  Nov.,  and  kill 
or  carry  into  captivity  many  of  the  inhabitants,  but  fail  to 
capture  the  fort. 

Gen.  Clinton  sends  Col.  Campbell  with  a  force  of  2000  men 
against  Georgia,  27  Nov.;  the  troops  land  near  Savannah,  29 
Dec.,  defeat  the  small  American  force  under  Gen.  Robert 
Howe,  and  take  possession  of  the  city. 

1779.  The  first  society  of  Universalists  in  the  U.  S.  is  organized  at 

Gloucester,  Mass.,  1  Jan. 

The  Americans  being  sorely  embarrassed  by  lack  of  funds 
and  the  extensive  counterfeiting  of  continental  money,  Con 
gress  resolves,  2  Jan.,  to  call  upon  the  United  States  to  pay  in 
their  respective  quotas  of  $15,000,000  for  the  year,  and  of 
$6,000,000  annually  for  eighteen  years  from  the  present  year, 
as  a  sinking  fund;  only  $4,000,000  have  been  obtained  by  loan 
from  Europe;  and  at  least  $100,000,000  of  continental  money, 
besides  large  local  issues  by  the  States,  are  afloat. 

Gen.  Prevost,  with  a  body  of  troops  from  East  Florida,  cap 
tures  the  American  fort  at  Sunbury,  the  only  remaining  mill- 


V*V>  A  V>  tfc  LV-*  V  *  y     *J      A    QILS««     Wj      <\     XV/J.  \^>\j     UilVlOl.        VJl^iA*     J-»JL  V^  L*l  LI  1V>  j      VT  J.ULJI    OV^TV^J 

loss;  while  the  British  are  advancing  to  Augusta,  Col.  Boyd 
organizes  a  body  of  Tories  and  commits  devastations  on  the  way 
to  the  royal  army;  at  Kettle  Creek  he  encounters,  14, , Col. 


History  of  the  United  States.  89 

1779.  Pickens  with  some  Carolina  militia,  and  is  totally  defeated, 
Boyd  being  killed :  a  number  of  his  men  are  hung  as  traitors. 

An  expedition  from  the  British  fort  at  Detroit  captures  Vin- 
cennes  from  the  Americans,  Jan.  Major  Clarke,  who  had  taken 
the  place  the  previous  year,  makes  his  way  through  the 
drowned  lands  of  Illinois,  with  175  men,  and  comes  within 
sight  of  Vincennes,  18  Feb.;  with  their  faces  blackened  with 
gunpowder  the  men  suddenly  enter  the  place  and  capture  the 
entire  garrison,  20. 

Gen.  Putnam  makes  a  remarkable  escape  from  the  enemy 
under  Gov.  Tryon,  at  Horse  Neck,  Conn.,  by  driving  his  horse 
down  the  precipice  at  the  church,  and  escaping  all  the  bullets 
fired  at  him  by  the  astonished  British  (Feb.). 

Gen.  Benjamin  Lincoln,  the  new  commander  of  the  southern 
department,  advances  to  the  west  bank  of  the  Savannah  and 
sends  nearly  2000  men,  under  Gen.  Ashe,  across  the  river;  at 
Briar  Creek,  Ashe  is  surprised  by  Prevost,  3  March,  and  loses 
nearly  his  entire  army;  by  rapid  recruiting,  Lincoln  gathers 
a  force  of  over  5000  men  by  the  middle  of  April,  and  leaving 
Moultrie  to  watch  Prevost,  he  begins,  23,  a  march  up  the  river 
to  enter  Georgia  via  Augusta;  Prevost  marches  upon  Charleston 
and  demands  its  surrender,  12  May,  but  the  approach  of  Lin 
coln  frightens  him  away;  the  Americans  attack  a  British  divi 
sion  strongly  posted  at  Stone  Ferry,  20  June,  but  after  a  severe 
action  are  repulsed;  the  main  body  of  the  enemy  now  retire 
to  Savannah. 

While  these  operations  are  in  progress  in  the  south,  the  cam 
paign  is  being  vigorously  conducted  in  the  north;  Sir  George 
Collier  and  Gen.  Mathews,  with  a  small  fleet,  enter  Hampton 
Roads,  9  May,  ravage  both  sides  of  the  Elizabeth  River,  destroy 
a  large  amount  of  property  at  Norfolk  and  Portsmouth,  and 
then  hasten  up  the  Hudson,  where  they  co-operate  with  Gen. 
Clinton  in  capturing  the  fortress  at  Stony  Point,  31,  and  the 
fort  at  Verplanck's  Point,  opposite,  1  June;  Collier,  with  2500 
men  under  Gov.  Tryon,  sails,  4  July,  for  the  Connecticut  coast; 
New  Haven  is  plundered,  5,  East  Haven  burned,  6,  Van-field 
burned,  8,  and  Norwalk  plundered  and  burned,  12. 

Spain  makes  a  secret  treaty  with  France,  April,  and  declares 
war  against  Great  Britain,  June;  a  great  Spanish  and  French 
naval  force  attempts  to  effect  an  invasion  of  England,  Aug., 
but  a  violent  gale  drives  the  ships  into  the  open  sea;  an  allied 
fleet  lays  siege  to  Gibraltar  during  the  remainder  of  the  year. 

Patrick  Henry,  of  Va.,  dies,  6  June,  aged  63. 

A  naval  expedition  is  fitted  out  at  L'Orient  by  the  American 
and  French  Governments,  consisting  of  five  vessels,  all  under 
the  command  of  John  Paul  Jones;  it  makes  its  first  search 
after  British  merchantmen,  June,  and  starting  on  the  second, 
falls  in  with  two  English  frigates,  the  Serapis  and  Countess  of 
Scarborough,  convoying  a  fleet  of  merchantmen,  off  Flambor- 
ough  Head,  east  coast  of  England,  23  Sep.;  early  in  the  even 
ing,  Jones,  in  his  flagship,  the  Bon  Hornme  Richard,  40  guns, 
engages  the  Serapis,  44  guns,  commanded  by  Captain  Pearson; 
the  frigates  are  lashed  together  and  a  furious  battle  rages  for 
two  hours;  both  vessels  take  fire  "ad  the  Richard  is  about  sink- 


80  History  of  the  United  State*- 

1779.  ing,  when  the  American  frigate  Alliance  comes  up  and  delivers 
a  broadside  into  the  Richard  by  mistake;  a  few  moments  later 
she  attacks  the  Serapi*,  which  soon  surrenders;  out  of  375  men 
on  the  Richard  with  Jones,  300  are  killed  or  wounded;  Jones 
takes  possession  of  the  8?,  tapis,  and  after  another  severe  engage 
ment  captures  the  Scarbo,  oitgh,  while  the  Richard  sinks;  both 
prizes,  valued  at  $200,000,  are  taken  to  Holland. 

Gen.  Wayne  achieves  one  of  the  most  brilliant  victories  oi 
the  war  in  the  recapture  of  Stony  Point,  15  July,  by  a  series- 
bayonet  charges  and  hand-to-hand  fights,  following  a  thorough 
surprise  of  the  enemy;  the  British  lose  in  killed,  wounded,  and 
prisoners  upwards  of  600  men,  besides  a  large  amount  of  mili 
tary  stores,  while  the  total  American  loss  is  about  100. 

Massachusetts  fits  out  a  flotilla  of  37  vessels  for  an  expedition 
against  the  British  post  on  the  Penobscot  River;  it  arrives  25 
July,  and,  after  a  delay  of  fifteen  days,  the  Americans  are 
about  to  assault,  when  a  British  fleet  suddenly  appears,  13  Aug. 
and  completely  destroys  the  flotilla. 

George  Ross,  of  Penn.,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence,  dies,  July. 

Major  Lee  surprises  the  British  garrison  at  Paulus  Hook, 
opposite  New  York,  19  Aug.,  kills  30  and  takes  160  prison 
ers,  for  which  daring  act  Congress  votes  him  its  thanks  and  a 
gold  medal. 

A  strong  force  under  Gen.  Sullivan  (3000  men)  marches  up 
the  Susquehanna  from  Wyoming,  and  is  joined  at  Tioga  Point, 
22  Aug.,  by  Gen.  James  Clinton  with  1600  men;  the  troops 
attack  a  large  body  of  Indians  and  Tories,  fortified  at  Elmira, 
29,  and  defeat  them  beyond  resistance;  Sullivan  then  goes 
through  the  Indian  country,  burns  forty  of  their  villages,  and 
destroys  150,000  bushels  of  corn. 

The  French  fleet  returning  from  the  West  Indies,  D'Estaing 
is  ordered  to  the  coast  of  Georgia  to  co-operate  with  Gen.  Lin 
coln  in  an  assault  on  Savannah;  he  reaches  the  coast,  9  Sep. 
and  a  united  siege  is  laid  to  the  city;  an  assault  is  made,  9  Oct. 
and  the  Americans  are  repulsed,  with  a  loss  of  nearly  1000  in 
killed  and  wounded,  Count  Pulaski  receiving  a  mortal  shot; 
Count  D'Estaing  withdraws  his  fleet,  and  Gen.  Lincoln  retreats 
into  South  Carolina,  18. 

Fearing  an  attack  from  the  French  fleet,  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
orders  a -retreat  of  the  forces  in  Rhode  Island  to  New  York, 
and  it  is  made  in  such  haste,  25  Oct.,  that  the  British  leave  al» 
their  heavy  artillery  and  a  large  quantity  of  stores  behind 
them. 

Joseph  Hewes,  of  N.  C.,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Inds 
pendence,  dies,  10  Nov. 

The  British  Parliament  votes  for  the  service  of  1780,  the  sure 
of  $100,000,000,  85,000  seamen,  and  35,000  troops,  in  addition 
to  those  already  in  America. 

1780.  This  is  a  year  of  almost  uninterrupted  disaster  to  th«»  patriot 

cause;  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  leaving  Gen.  Knyphausen  in  com 
mand  at  New  York,  arrives  on  the  coast  of  Georgia  late  in  Jan. 
with  the  bulk  of  his  army,  convoyed  by  Admiral  Arbttthnot; 
he  leaves  Savannah,  10  Feb.,  takes  possession  of  the  island* 


ffistory  of  the  United  State*.  W 

1780.  south  of  Charleston,  11,  crosses  the  Ashley  River,  29  March, 
and  begins  erecting  batteries  near  the  American  works,  1 
April;  Arbuthnot  passes  Fort  Moultrie  with  his  fleet,  9  April, 
and  anchors  in  Charleston  Harbor;  Clinton  sends  a  detachment 
of  1400  men  under  Webster,  Tarleton,  and  Ferguson  against 
Gen.  Huger,  at  Monk's  Corner,  14,  when  the  Americans  are 
surprised  and  put  to  flight;  Tarleton  surprises  a  patriot  corps 
on  the  Santee,  6  May,  Fort  Moultrie  is  surrendered  the  same 
day,  and  Gen.  Lincoln,  completely  environed  by  the  enemy 
and  with  no  prospect  of  relief  for  his  little  band,  is  compelled 
to  surrender  Charleston,  with  himself  and  his  command  pris 
oners,  12.  With  a  view  to  recovering  the  rest  of  the  province, 
Clinton  dispatches  three  expeditions— one  seizes  the  post  of 
Ninety-Six,  another  scours  the  Savannah  country,  and  the  third, 
under  Cornwallis,  crosses  the  Santee  and  occupies  Georgetown ; 
elated  at  the  ensuing  apparent  tranquillity,  Clinton  places  Corn 
wallis  in  command,  and  leaves  for  New  York,  5  June,  with  the 
greater  part  of  his  troops. 

The  Bank  of  Pennsylvania,  the  first  in  the  U.  S.,  is  chartered 
1  March,  and  located  in  Philadelphia. 

The  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania  passes  an  Act  for  the  gradual 
abolition  of  slavery,  1  March. 

The  town  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  is  founded. 

Congress  sends  Gen.  Gates  to  succeed  Baron  de  Kalb,  who. 
by  the  surrender  of  Gen.  Lincoln,  had  become  Commander-in- 
Chief  in  the  South. 

Gen.  Knyphausen,  with  5000  men,  crosses  from  Staten  Island 
into  New  Jersey,  7  June,  occupies  Elizabethtown,  burns  Con 
necticut  Farms,  and  approaches  Springfield,  but  withdraws  on 
the  advance  of  troops  from  MorristOAvn  ;  Clinton,  on  his  arrival 
at  New  York,  joins  this  force  with  additional  troops,  22 
June,  sends  Washington  on  a  feint  towards  the  Highlands, 
and  strikes  Greene  at  Springfield,  23,  with  5000  infantry,  a 
large  cavalry  force,  and  20  guns;  Greene  defeats  Clinton,  who, 
after  firing  the  village,  retreats  to  the  island. 

Benjamin  Randall,  having  been  converted  by  the  preaching 
of  George  Whitefield,  is  ordained,  and  organizes  at  New  Dur 
ham,  N.  H.,  the  first  Freewill  Baptist  Church  in  America,  30 
June. 

A  powerful  French  fleet  under  Admiral  Ternay,  with  6000 
soldiers  under  the  Count  de  Rochambeau,  arrives  at  Newport, 
R.  I.,  10  July;  to  prevent  a  conflict  of  authority,  the  Kino;  of 
France,  at  the  personal  solicitation  of  Lafayette,  appoints 
Washington  a  Lieutenant-General  of  France,  by  which  he 
outranks  the  Count  and  becomes  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
united  forces. 

In  South  Carolina,  Col.  Sumter  attacks  a  British  force  at 
Rocky  Mount,  30  July,  and  is  repulsed  •  rallying  his  forces  he 
surprises  and  defeats  a  large  body  of  British  regulars  and 
Tories  at  Hanging  Rock,  6  'Aug.  Gen.  Gates  approaching  with 
reinforcements  for  the  south.  Lord  Rawdon  masses  the  British 
at  Camden  and  sends  for  Cornwallis,  at  Charleston;  Gate? 
advances  from  Clermont,  14,  to  surprise  the  British,  while 
Cornwallis  and  Rawdon  leave  Cainden  to  surprise  the  Ameri- 


tiisto'ry  of  the  (Suited  State* 

780.  cans^  the  armies  meet  near  Sanders'  Creekj  and  a  general 
engagement  is  opened,  16;  the  Americans  are  charged  with  the 
bayonet  and  byTarleton's  cavalry,  and  being  outnumbered  and 
surrounded,  are  completely  routed,  with  a  loss  in  killed, 
wounded,  and  prisoners  of  1000,  besides  all  their  artillery  and 
ammunition,  the  British  loss  is  350;  Baron  de  Kalb  is  among 
the  wounded,  mortally.  Two  days  later,  Sumter's  corps  is  sur 
prised  by  Taiieton,  at  Fishing  Creek,  and  routed  with  heavy 
loss. 

A  Convention  of  the  New  England  States  is  held  in  Boston, 
Aug.,  which  declares  for  a  more  solid  and  permanent  union 
under  one  supreme  head,  and  "  a  Congress  competent  for  the 
government  of  all  those  common  and  national  affairs  which  do 
not  nor  cannot  come  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  separate 
States." 

Benedict  Arnold,  one  of  the  bravest  and  most  skilfull  of  thfc 
patriot  generals,  whose  services  had  been  rewarded  by  Congress 
with  the  command  of  Philadelphia  after  the  evacuation,  smart 
ing  under  a  reprimand  administered  by  Washington  in  obedi 
ence  to  the  sentence  of  a  court-martial,  determines  upon  a 
course  of  the  blackest  infamy;  appointed  commander  of  the 
important  fortress  of  West  Point,  on  the  Hudson,  Aug.,  lie 
negotiates  a  surrender  of  the  post  with  Clinton  through  Major 
Andre,  the  British  Adjutant-General,  his  price  being  £10,000 
and  a  commission  as  Brigadier  in  the  British  army;  Andre  sails 
up  the  river  in  the  Vulture,  confers  with  Arnold  near  Haver- 
straw,  22  Sep.,  and,  attempting  to  return  to  the  vessel,  finds  it 
has  been  driven  down  the  river  by  artillerists  at  Teller's  Point; 
he  crosses  the  river  in  disguise,  and  while  making  his  way  to 
New  York  by  land,  is  seized  at  Tarrytown,  23,  by  John 
Paulding,  David  Williams,  and  Isaac  Van  Wart,  who  find  in 
his  boots  the  criminating  papers;  he  is  tried  by  court-martial, 
declared  a  spy  on  his  own  confession,  and  hanged  at  Tappan, 
2  Oct.;  Arnold  effects  his  escape;  Congress  votes  each  of 
Andre's  captors  its  thanks,  a  silver  medal,  and  u  pension  of 
$200  a  year  for  life. 

Under  orders  from  Cornwallis,  Col.  Ferguson  invade*  North 
Carolina,  Sep.;  he  crosses  Broad  Iliver,  1  Oct.,  and  encamps  on 
King's  Mountain  with  1500  men;  the  Americans  suddenly 
attack  him,  7,  and  after  an  obstinate  defence,  he  is  killed,  300 
of  his  men  are  killed  or  wounded,  and  the  remainder  an; 
taken  prisoners,  together  with  1500  stand  of  arms,  at  an  Ameri 
can  loss  of  20.  Gen.  Sumter,  having  retaken  the  field  with  Ji 
body  of  volunteers,  defeats  the  British  under  Major  Wemys  at 
Broad  River,  12  Nov.,  and  on  being  attacked  by  the  notorious 
Tarleton,  at  Blackstocks,  20,  compels  him  to  retreat  after  a 
heavy  loss  of  cavalry  men.  Throughout  the  winter,  Gen. Marion, 
with  his  irregular  brigade,  leads  and  directs  a  great  many  har 
assing  expeditions  against  the  British  from  his  encampment  on 
the  Pedee.  9 

Gen.  Greene  is  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  armies  ID 
the  south,  superseding  Gen.  Gates,  30  Oct. 

Great  Britain  declares  war  igainst  Holland,  20  Dec.,  on  dift- 


Unite* 

it80.  covering  that  a  commercial  treaty  la  being  negotiated  between 
that  country  and  the  U.  S. 

Henry  Laurens,  ex-President  of  Congress  and  newly-ap 
pointed  Minister  from  the  U.  S.  to  Holland,  is  seized,  while  on 
his  way  to  his  post,  by  an  English  frigate,  taken  to  London, 
and  incarcerated  in  the  Tower. 

1781.  All  the  Pennsylvania  troops,  1300,  break  camp  at  Morristown, 
in  a  mutiny,  1  Jan.,  and  start  for  Philadelphia  to  demand  oi 
Congress  their  arrearages  of  pay;  at  Princeton  they  are  met  by 
agents  of  Gen.  Clinton,  who  seek  to  entice  them  either  to  enter 
the  British  service  or  to  permanently  abandon  the  Americans; 
the  troops  seize  the  agents  and  deliver  them  to  their  com 
mander,  Gen.  Wayne,  as  spies;  Congress  appoints  a  commis 
sion  which  accedes  to  the  demands  of  the  troops,  and  a  large 
part  of  the  Pennsylvania  line  is  disbanded. 

Benedict  Arnold,  as  a  British  Brigadier,  leads  an  expedition 
of  1600  British  and  Tories  into  Virginia;  he  destroys  a  K>- 
amount  of  public  and  private  stores  in  Richmond,  5  Jan.,  and 
makes  his  headquarters  at  Portsmouth,  after  fortifying  it,  20. 
Washington  sends  Lafayette,  with  1200  men,  to  capture  him, 
rtnd  thn  French  fleet  sails  from  Rhode  Island  to  assist,  8  March; 
Clinton,  learning  of  the  movement,  hastens  Admiral  Arbuth- 
not  from  New  York:  he  attacks  the  French  fleet,  16,  forcing  it 
to  return  to  Rhode  Island;  Gen  Philips  joins  Arnold  with  2000 
men,  26,  and  takes  chief  command. 

Just  as  Cornwallis  is  preparing  for  a  second  march  in  North 
Carolina,  Gen.  Greene  send*  Gen .  Morgan  to  the  west  of  South 
Carolina,  when  Cornwallfe  directs  Tarleton  to  disperse  the 
command;  Morgan  at  first  retreats  before  the  superior  force  of 
Tarleton,  but  at  the  Cowpens,  17  Jan.,  the  Americans  rally, 
and  in  a  general  charge  utterly  rout  the  British,  killing  and 
wounding  300,  taking  500  prisoners,  and  securing  100  cavalry 
horses  and  a  large  baggage  train,  at  a  loss  of  72  killed  and 
wounded;  Congress  votes'  Morgan  a  gold  medal  for  his  victoiy. 

A  portion  of  the  New  Jersey  troops  break  camp  at  Pompton, 
in  mutiny,  18  Jan.;  Washington  sends  500  men  under  Gen. 
Robert  Howe  to  quell  the  mutiny;  on  his  arrival  he  hangs  two 
of  the  leaders,  27,  upon  \vhich  the  others  submit. 

Robert  Morris  is  placed  in  charge  of  the  public  Treasury  by 
Congress,  and,  through  his  rare  executive  ability  in  collecting 
the  newly  imposed  taxes,  anc&iis  patriotism  in  giving  Congress 
the  use  of  his  private  fortune  and  his  personal  credit,  he 
enables  the  armies  to  undertake  more  cheerful  and  vigorous 
campaigns. 

After  Taneton's  defeat,  Cornwallis  destroys  his  heavy  bag- 
gage,  and  begins  a  forced  inarch  towards  the  Catawba.  whither 
Morgan  is  also  speeding;  Morgan  reaches  the  river  first,  closely 
pursued  by  Cornwallis,  and  crosses  in  safety;  Coinwallis,  two 
hours  later,  halts  on  the  bank,  designing  to  cross  in  the  morn 
ing,  but  a  heavy  rain  comes  up  during  the  night,  rendering  the 
river  impassable  for  two  days;  this  gives  the  Americana  an 
advantage;  Greene  joins  Morgan,  81  Jan.,  and  continues  the 
retreat;  the  Americans  reach  the  Yadkin  first  and  cross;  the 
British  close  spot  2*&t  teek,  fe^  tat  *4  ThtCJtrr^; 


4  fitsiory  of  the  Uhtieti  State*. 

1781.  storm  breaks,  and  whiln  Greene  is  pursuing  his  retreat  towards 
Virginia,  Cornwallis  is  retarded  by  having  to  seek  another 
crossing;  Greene  is  joined  at  Guilford  Court  House  by  the 
remainder  of  his  army,  7  Feb.,  and  reaches  his  third  river  (the 
Dan)  just  ahead  of  the  British,  who  are  once  more  checked  by 
the  rising  of  the  waters,  14;  here  Cornwallis  abandons  the 
phenomenal  pursuit,  and  returning  to  the  south,  fixes  his  camp 
at  Hillsborough. 

George  Taylor,  of  Penn.,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  dies,  23  Feb. 

The  State  of  New  York  makes  a  concession  to  the  Congress 
of  all  its  country  north  of  the  Ohio,  1  March. 

By  1  March,  Greene  has  secured  an  army  of  nearly  5000 
men,  and  feeling  strong  enougn  to  cope  with  Cornwallis,  he 
recrosses  the  Dan  into  Carolina  and  prepares  for  an  engage 
ment  at  Guilford  Court  House;  the  British  boldly  attack,  15 
March,  and  after  a  desparate  battle,  the  Americans  fall  back, 
leaving  the  field  to  the  enemy,  losing  in  killed  and  wounded 
400,  against  a  British  loss  of  500,  including  a  number  of  prom- 
inent  oificers;  Cornwallis  retires  to  Wilmington,  and  subse 
quently  begins  (25  April)  a  inarch  upon  Virginia.  Greene, 
resolving  to  re-enter  South  Carolina,  encamps  on  Hobkirk's 
Hill,  near  the  British  post  at  Camden;  here  Lord  Rawdorj 
attacks  him,  25  April;  after  a  preliminary  success,  a  Maryland 
regiment  throws  the  American  line  into  confusion,  and  a  gen* 
eral  rout  ensues. 

Gen.  Marion's  brigade  and  Col.  Henry  Lee's  cavalry  begin 
to  stem  the  tide  of  disaster;  through  their  skilfull  manoeuver- 
ing  the  Americans  take  Fort  Watson,  on  the  Santee,  16  April, 
Orangeburg,  11  May,  Fort  Motte,  12,  the  post  at  Nelson's  Ferry, 
14,  and  Fort  Granby,  16.  Lee  captures  Fort  Galphin,  a  few 
miles  below  Augusta,  21,  and  demands  the  surrender  of  that 
post;  on  being  refused  he  lays  siege,  23,  and  the  British  capi- 
tulate,  5  June.  Lee  and  Pickens  then  join  Greene  inthe  siege 
of  Fort  Ninety  Six,  but  on  the  approach  of  Rawdon,  19,  the 
Americans  retreat. 

Just  before  Lord  Rawdon'a  return  to  England,  he  reluctantly 
consents  to  the  execution  of  Col.  Isaac  Hayne,  1  July,  a  firm 
and  popular  patriot  who  has  been  convicted  on  a  charge  ol 
breaking  his  parole,  after  the  occupation  of  Charleston. 

Gen.  Clinton,  under  the  belief  that  Washington  is  about  at 
tacking  New  York,  and  hoping  to  deprive  him  of  Lafayette's 
army,  now  in  Virginia,  orders  Cornwallis  to  conquer  that  sec 
tion;  the  latter  crosses  from  N.  Carolina,  overruns  the  James 
River  country,  takes  Richmond  and  Williarnsburg,  sustains  a^ 
attack  by  Lafayette  and  a  charge  by  Wayne,  near  Portsmouth, 
takes  the  latter  place  for  an  encampment,  but  abandons  it,  and 
concentrates  bis  army,  1-22  Aug.,  at  Yorktown,  which,  witl. 
Gloucester  Point,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  York  River,  he 
fortifies.  Very  opportunely  for  Washington,  a  second  fleet, 
under  the  Count  de  Grasse,  arrives  from  France,  and  is  sent  tc 
the  Chesapeake,where  it  blockades  the  James  and  York  Rivers 
88-30 


History  oj  the  United  States.  95 

1781.  With  a  view  to  distracting-  Washington's  attention,  Clinton 
sends  Arnold  on  an  expedition  into  Connecticut;  the  traitor 
lands,  6  Sep.,  and  marches  against  Fort  Trumbull,  below  New 
London,  which  surrenders  at  his  demand;  the  same  day,  a  de 
tachment  carries  Fort  Griswold.  on  the  east  side  of  the  Thames, 
by  assault,  and  at  the  surrender,  Col.  Ledyard,  the  Commander, 
is  run  through  the  body  with  his  own  sword  by  the  British  com 
mandant;  nearly  all  the  garrison  are  killed  or  wounded  after 
the  surrender;  Arnold  then  burns  New  London  and  withdraws 
to  New  York. 

The  battle  of  Eutaw  Springs,  8  Sep.,  between  Greene  and 
Col.  Stewart,  Rawdon's  successor,  in  which,  after  a  bitter  fight 
of  four  hours,  Greene  withdraws  from  the  field,  thenreoccupies 
it,  and  leads  a  fruitless  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  closes  the  field 
actions  of  the  war  in  the  Carolina  district.  Congress  votes 
Greene  a  special  gold  medal  for  his  services. 

Having  successfully  deceived  Clinton  as  to  his  real  purposes, 
Washington  suddenly  withdraws  the  combined  French  and 
American  army  from  the  neighborhood  of  New  York,  and  by 
an  extraordinary  march  appears  before  Yorktown,  30  Sep.  He 
prepares  for  a  vigorous  assault,  and  on  9 Oct.,  his  batteries  open 
fire  on  the  town;  several  redoubts  are  taken,  14;  nearly  100 
pieces  of  heavy  ordinance  are  brought  to  bear  on  the  works,  16; 
Cornwallis  attempts  to  escape  by  cutting  his  way  through  a 
French  detachment  at  Gloucester  Point,  but  is  prevented;  he 
surrenders  the  posts  of  Yorktown  and  Gloucester,  with  over 
7000  British  soldiers,  toWashington,  and  all  the  shipping  in  the 
harbor  to  Count  de  Grasse,  19.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  reaches  the 
mouth  of  the  Chesapeake  with  7000  men  five  days  after  the 
surrender,  and  immediately  returns  to  New  York. 

Congress  appoints  13  Dec.  as  a  day  of  public  thanksgiving 
and  prayer  for  the  great  success  of  the  American  armies. 

The  Bank  of  North  America,  at  Philadelphia,  is  incorporated 
by  Act  of  Congress,  31  Dec. 

1782.  During  the  winter,  many  attempts  are  made  in  the  British  Par 

liament  to  terminate  the  war,  but  the  King  and  ministry  oppose 
any  relaxation  of  subjugating  efforts.  The  Commons,  4  March, 
resolve  that  all  who  advise  the  King  to  continue  the  war  shall 
be  regarded  as  public  enemies;  the  administration  of  Lord  North 
comes  to  an  end,  20,  and  a  strong  peace  party  succeeds.  Sir  Guy 
Carleton  is  appointed  to  succeed  Sir  Henry  Clinton  in  command 
of  the  forces* in  America,  and  lands  in  New  York  early  in  May 
with  instructions  to  negotiate  for  an  early  treaty  of  peace;  in  the 
main,  hostilities  cease;  de  Grasse  sets  sail  for  the  West  Indies; 
Rochambeau  establishes  his  army  in  Virginia,  awaiting  events; 
Washington  sends  reinforcements,  under  Gen.  St.  Clair,  to 
Greene,  and  returns  with  the  bulk  of  his  army  to  the  Highlands. 
The  summer  passes  in  correspondence  and  negotiations,  except 
in  the  south,  where  the  British  evacuate  Savannah,  11  July. 
Preliminary  articles  of  peace  are  signed  at  Paris.  30  Nov.,  by 
Richard  Oswald,  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain,  and  Messrs.  John 
Adams,  Benjamin  Franklin,  John  Jay,  and  Henry  Laurens  on 
the  part  of  the  U.  S. 

Holland  recognizes  the  independence  of  the  U.  S.,  19  April, 


96  History  of  the   United  States. 

1782.  The  Associate  Reformed  Church  is  founded  at  Pequa,  Penn,, 
13  June,  by  a  union  of  the  Associate  and  the  Reformed  Pres 
byterian  Churches.  The  synod  is  formally  constituted  in  Phila 
delphia,  30  Oct. 

The  British  evacuate  Charleston,  14  Dec. ,  and  the  Americans, 
under  Gen.  Greene,  make  a  triumphal  entry,  15. 
Washington  College,  at  Lexington,  Va.,  is  founded. 
The  first  Jewish  settlement  in  Philadelphia  is  made. 

1783.  An  insurrection  is  threatened  in  the  Patriot  army,  owing  to  the, 

inability  of  Congress  to  pay  either  the  officers  or  men  for  their 
services.  Major  John  Armstrong  prepares  a  paper  and  circu 
lates  it  throughout  the  army,  1  March,  calling  upon  the  troops 
to  unite  in  a  demonstration  for  their  money  which  shall  not  only 
arouse  the  fears  of  Congress,  but  of  the  people  as  well,  against 
the  consequences  of  further  delay.  Washington  promptly 
counteracts  the  strong  influence  of  the  manifesto  by  convening 
his  officers,  15,  and  obtaining  from  them  a  declaration  of  their 
unshaken  confidence  in  the  justice  of  Congress  and  their  coun 
try. 

A  number  of  the  clergy  of  the  Church  of  England  meet  in 
convention,  25  March,  and  elect  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Seabury,  of 
New  York,  to  be  their  Bishop;  he  makes  application  to  the 
Archbishop  of  York,  England,  to  be  consecrated,  but  that  pre 
late  declines  to  consecrate  a  citizen  of  the  U.  S.  without  a 
special  Act  of  Parliament. 

Congress  proclaims  a  cessation  of  hostilities,  11  April,  and 
ratifies  the  preliminary  treaty  with  Great  Britain,  15;  the  Con 
gressional  Proclamation  is  read  to  the  army,  19. 

The  army  officers  stationed  at  Newburg,  N.  Y.,  meet  upon 
the  suggestion  of  Baron  Steuben,  19  June,  and  organize  them 
selves  into  an  association,  under  the  name  of  the  Society  of  the 
Cincinnati.  They  propose  to  commemorate  their  services  in 
the  field  by  frequent  reunions,  to  aid  such  members  as  may 
become  reduced  in  circumstances,  and  to  perpetuate  the  associa 
tion  by  permitting  the  oldest  male  descendant  of  an  original 
member  to  enjoy  all  its  privileges. 

The  last  international  act  in  the  revolution  is  consummated 
23  Sep.,  when  a  definitive  treaty  is  signed  by  David  Hartley,  on 
the  part  of  Great  Britain,  and  Dr.  Franklin,  John  Adams,  and 
John  Jay,  on  the  part  of  the  U.  S-;  the  treaty  fully  concedes 
the  independence  of  the  American  States,  secures  boundaries 
extending  north  to  the  great  lakes  and  west  to  the  Mississippi, 
restores  the  two  Florhhis  to  Spain,  and  accords  the  American's 
an  unlimited  right  of  fishing  on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland. 
During  the  war, Great  Britain  sent  1 12,584  troops  for  land-service 
and  over  22,000  seamen  to  America,  and  the  Colonists  had  230,- 
000  Continental  soldiers  and  56,000  militia  under  arms. 

By  a  general  order  of  Congress  the  army  is  disbanded,  3 
Nov.,  a  small  force  being  retained  at  West  Point,  N.  Y.,  under 
command  of  Gen.  Knox,  until  the  organization  of  a  peace 
eitablishment. 

The  British  army  evacuate  New  York  Oity,  25  Nov. ;  Gen. 
Knox  moves  his  troops  down  from  West  Point  and  halts  in  the 
Bowery,  and  as  the  British  inarch  to  Whitehall,  he  follows  and 


History  of  the  United  States.  9? 

1788.  takes  possession  of  Fort  George,  the  artillery  on  the  Battery 
saluting  the  U.  S.  flag,  and  the  citizens  giving  Gov.  Clinton  and 
the  principal  civil  officers  of  the  State  who  accompany  Gen. 
Knox  a  tremendous  reception. 

Washington  summons  his  officers  to  meet  him  at  his  quarters, 
corner  of  Pearl  and  Broad  Streets,  New  York,  4  Dec.,  and  then, 
amid  copious  tears  and  prolonged  sobs,  he  takes  an  affectionate 
farewell  of  each;  the  ceremony  over,  he  proceeds  direct  to  An 
napolis,  Md.,  where  Congress  is  in  session,  and  returns  to  it,  23, 
the  commission  it  gave  him  over  eight  years  ago.  He  renders 
an  account  of  his  expenses  as  Commander-in-Chief ,  amounting 
to  about  $74,480,  but  declines  to  receive  any  compensation  for 
Iris  services,  and  seeks  the  retirement  of  his  farm. 

Congress  agrees  upon  a  measure  to  support  public  credit  by 
obtaining  from  the  States  money,  raised  by  duties  on  imported 
goods  and  internal -taxation,  for  funding  the  whole  national 
debt;  but  the  recommendation  does  not  receive  the  assent  of  all 
the  States. 

The  States  of  New  York  and  Virginia,  having  ceded  their 
western  lands  to  the  general  Government,  Congress  this  year 
requests  that  those  States  which  have  not  already  done  so,  will 
cede  portions  of  their  territory,  as  a  fund  to  aid  in  payment  of 
the  public  debt. 
l'<84.  John  Jay  is  appointed  Secretary  of  Foreign  Affairs,  March. 

The  first  step  towards  the  formation  of  a  collective  body  of 
the  Episcopal  Church  in  the  U.  S.  is  taken  at  a  meeting  of  a  few 
clergymen  from  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania,  at 
New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  13,  14  May.  Their  plans  are  matured,  5 
Oct.,  at  an  adjourned  meeting,  attended  by  15  clergymen  and 
11  laymen  representing  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania, 
Virginia,  Maryland,  and  Delaware.  They  agree  to  recommend 
to  the  churches  in  the  several  States  to  send  clerical  and  lay 
delegates  to  a  convention  to  be  held  in  Philadelphia,  27  Sep., 
1785.  Bishop-etect  Seabury,  having  been  refused  consecration 
by  the  Archbishop  of  York,  England,  applies  to  several  Scotch 
Bishops  who  are  not  connected  with  the  State,  and  he  is  con 
secrated  at  Aberdeen,  14  Nov.,  by  Bishops  Kilgore,  Petrie,  and 
Skinner. 

The  Continental  Congress  assembles  in  Trenton,  N.  J  ,  1 
Nov. ;  it  adopts  a  recommendation  to  the  States  that  they  shall 
authorize  the  General  Government,  for  the  term  of  15  ye^s,  to 
prohibit  the  importation  or  exportation  of  goods  hi  ves^ls 
belonging  to  or  navigated  by  the  subjects  of  any  power  win. 
whom  the  U.  S.  have  not  formed  commercial  treaties;  and  to 
prehibit  the  subjects  of  any  foreign  nation,  unless  authorized  by 
treaty,  from  importing  into  the  U.  S.  any  goods  not  the  pro 
duce  or  manufacture  of  the  nation  whose  subjects  they  are. 
This  measure  fails  through  lack  of  consent  of  the  States. 
Complaints  are  made  that  the  western  military  posts  are  stiil 
occupied  by  the  British,  contrary  to  an  express  provision  of  the 
treaty,  and  that  the  retiring  British  army  have  carried  away 
slaves  belonging  to  citizens  of  the  U.  S. 

Rev.  Thomas  Coke,  LL.D.,  a  Presbyter  of  the  Church  of 
England,  arrives  in  .America,  3  Nov.;  he  summons  all  the 


98  History  of  the  United  States. 

1784.  Methodist  preachers  to  meet  him  in  Baltimore,  25  Dec.,  and  on 
that  day  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  formed,  with  Dr. 
Coke  and  Francis  Asbury  as  superintendents;  at  this  time  there 
are  83  itinerant  preachers  and  14,988  lay  members  in  the  new 
Church. 

Connecticut  cedes  her  claims  to  all  lands  lying  120  miles  west 
of  the  western  boundary  of  Pennsylvania  to  the  General 
Government. 

The  first  Swedenborgian  missionary  to  the  U.S.,  James 
Glen,  settles  in  Philadelphia. 

Connecticut  takes  preliminary  steps  for  the  abolition  of  slavr 
ery  within  her  limits. 

The  Massachusetts  Bank,  the  second  in  the  U.S.,  is  established 
in  Boston. 

The  Pennsylvania  Packet  or  the  General  Advertiser  is  changed 
from  a  weekly  form  and  becomts  the  first  daily  newspaper  in 
the  U.  S. 

t785.  The  Continental  Congress  assembles  in  New  York,  11  Jan.; 
endeavors  are  again  made  to  obtain  financial  relief  by  forming 
commercial  treaties  with  foreign  powers;  principles  upon  which 
it  is  deemed  advantageous  to  form  such  treaties  are  drawn  up 
by  Thomas  Jefferson  and  adopted  by  the  Congress.  Messrs. 
John  Adams,  Benjamin  Franklin,  and  Thomas  Jefferson  are 
authorized  to  negotiate  treaties  in  accordance  with  these  princi 
ples;  John  Adams  is  appointed  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to 
Great  Britain,  Feb.,  to  arrange  our  commercial  relations  with 
that  country  upon  terms  more  favorable  to  the  U.  S.,  and  to 
adjust  several  matters  of  dispute  which  have  arisen  between  the 
countries,  the  chief  being  the  alleged  non-fulfillment  and 
infractions  of  the  treaty  of  peace. 

Early  in  the  year,  a  dispute  arises  between  the  U.  S.  and 
Spain  concerning  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  and  the 
boundary  line  of  the  Floridas,  Spain  attempting  to  exclude 
Americans  from  that  river  and  claiming  a  more  northern  boun 
dary  to  her  territory.  Negotiations  are  begun  in  the  summer 
between  Mr.  Jay,  Secretary  of  Foreign  Affairs,  and  Don  Diego 
Gardoqui,  the  new  Spanish  Minister,  but  are  suspended  without 
an  issue  until  after  the  new  government  is  formed.  C 

Commissioners  appointed  by  the  Legislatures  of  Virginia  and 
Maryland  meet  in  Alexandria,  March,  to  form  a  compact 
respecting  the  navigation  of  the  Potomac  and  Roanoke  Rivers 
and  Chesapeake  Bay.  They  agree  to  recommend  to  their 
respective  governments  the  appointment  of  new  Commissioners 
to  arrange  for  maintaining  a  naval  force  in  the  Chesapeake  and 
to  iix  a  tariff  of  duties  on  imports,  subject  to  the  approval  of 
Congress. 

Stephen  Hopkins,  of  Rhode  Island,  a  signer  of  the  Declara 
tion  of  Independence,  dies,  13  July. 

The  body  which  becomes  the  General  Convention  of  the 
Universalist  Church  is  organized,  Sep. 

An  Episcopal  Convention  is  held  in  Philadelphia,  27  Sep.;  a 
committee  is  appointed  to  correspond  with  the  Archbishops  and 
Bishops  of  the  Church  of  England  with  a  view  to  obtaining  the 


History  of  the  United  States.  9f 

1785  Episcopate  for  the  American  churches ;  an  adjournment  is  taken 
to  20  June,  1786. 

William  Whipple,  of  N.  H.,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  dies,  28  Nov. 

Dr.  Franklin,  U.  S.  Minister  to  France,  after  an  absence  of  9 
years,  obtains  leave  to  return  home,  and  Mr.  Jefferson  is 
appointed  his  successor. 

Charleston,  Philadelphia,  and  New  York  simultaneously 
begin  the  exportation  of  American  cotton. 

The  first  Shaker  house  of  worship  in  the  U.  S.  is  completed 
in  New  Lebanon,  N.  Y. 

The  first  city  directory  published  in  the  U.  S.  appears  in 
Philadelphia. 

Massachusetts  cedes  all  its  western  territory  to  the  General 
Government. 

1786.  The  Legislature  of  Virginia  adopts  a  resolution,  21  Jan.,  propos 
ing  a  Convention  of  Commissioners  from  all  the  States  to  con 
sider  the  condition  of  trade  and  the  expediency  of  a  uniform 
system  of  commercial  regulations  for  their  common  interest  and 
lasting  peace.  This  convention  assembles  in  Annapolis,  11  Sep., 
with  delegates  from  Virginia,  Pennsylvania,  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  and  Delaware  only;  finding  themselves  powerless  for 
effective  work,  the  Commissioners  adopt  a  report  to  be  pre 
sented  to  their  respective  States  and  to  the  Congress,  urging 
the  calling  of  a  general  convention  of  delegates  from  all  the 
States  to  meet  in  Philadelphia,  for  a  more  extensive  revision  of 
the  articles  of  confederation,  on  the  second  Monday  in  May, 
1787.  During  the  year,  delegates  are  appointed  in  all  the  States 
except  Rhode  Island. 

The  committee  of  the  Episcopal  Convention,  appointed  to 
secure  the  Episcopate  for  America,  receive  a  reply  from  the 
Archbishops  of  the  Church  of  England  early  in  the  spring, 
declining  compliance  with  the  request  until  they  are  advised  of 
the  alterations  proposed  to  be  made  in  the  prayer-book.  At  the 
meeting  of  the  convention,  20  June,  the  committee  is  instructed 
to  communicate  the  changes  deemed  necessary  for  the  Church 
in  America. 

Congress,  having  failed  to  secure  the  consent  of  the  States  to 
several  measures  designed  to  raise  money  to  fund  the  national 
debt,  makes  another  and  modified  call.  The  part  of  the  plans 
which  applied  for  internal  taxes  having  met  with  greater  oppo 
sition  than  any  others,  Congress  now  requests  of  the  States 
authority  to  carry  into  effect  those  parts  only  which  relate  to 
import  duties.  *  All  the  States  except  New  York  promptly 
comply,  that  State  denying  to  the  Federal  Government  the 
power  to  collect  the  duties,  reserving  to  itself  not  only  this  right, 
but  the  right  also  of  paying  the  duties  in  its  own  bills  of  credit. 

The  financial  distress  continues  to  spread,  and  in  Massachu 
setts,  where  it  is  particularly  severe,  the  people  begin  to  organ 
ize  for  relief;  disturbances  are  fomented  in  various  parts  of  the 
State  during  the  summer  and  fall;  and  in  Dec.  there  is  an 
uprising  of  some  2000  men  in  the  northwest,  under  the  leader 
ship  of  Daniel  Shays,  a  Revolutionary  officer.  They  demand 
that  the  collection  of  taxes  shall  be  suspended  at  once,  that  the 


100  History  of  the  United  States. 

1786  State  expenses  be  reduced,  and  that  the  Legislature  authorize 
the  emission  of  paper-money  for  general  circulation.  The  insur 
gents  prevent  the  holding  of  Courts  and  threaten  to  attack  the 
State  Arsenal;  two  bodies  of  militia  are  accordingly  sent  against 
them,  under  command  of  Gens.  Lincoln  and  Shepard,  and  they 
are  speedily  dispersed. 

Kosciusko,  Aide  and  Engineer  to  Washington  during  the 
Revolutionary  War,  returns  to  Poland,  and  is  appointed  Major- 
General  by  the  Diet. 

Lord  Cornwallis  is  sent  to  Gibraltar  as  Governor-General  and 
Commander -in -Chief,  and  successfully  terminates  the  war 
there. 

1787.  All  obstacles  against  the  consecration  of  American  Bishops  hav 
ing  been  removed,  the  Rev.  Drs.  White,  of  Penn.,  and  Prevoost, 
of  New  York,  are  inducted  into  the  Episcopacy,  in  the  Chapel 
of  Lambeth  Palace,  London,  England,  4  Feb. 

The  Congressional  Committee  to  whom  the  report  of  the  An 
napolis  Convention  was  referred,  Messrs.  Dana,Varnum,  S.  M. 
Mitchell,  Smith,  Cadwalader,  Irvine,  Forest,  Gray  son,  Blount, 
Bull,  Few,  and  N.  Mitchell,  report  thereon,  21  Feb.,  strongly 


recommending  the  different  Legislatures  to  appoint  delegates  to 

proposed  Convention  in  Philadelphia.     Congress  adoj 
resolution  declaring  the  expediency  of  holding  the  Convention 


for  the  sole  and  express  purpose  of  revising  the  articles  of  con 
federation,  and  transmits  it  to  the  Speakers  of  all  the  State 
Assemblies,  to  belaid  before  the  legislators. 

Delegates  from  nearly  half  of  the  States  assemble  in  Phila 
delphia,  14  May;  a  majority  of  tiie  States  being  represented,  25, 
the  Constitutional  Convention  is  then  opened  by  the  election  of 
George  Washington  as  president,  and  the  appointment  of  Wil 
liam  Jackson  as  secretary.  A  majority  of  the  delegates  resolve 
to  form  a  national  government,  consisting  of  a  supreme  judi 
cial,  legislative,  and  executive  branch,  in  opposition  to  those 
delegates  who  maintain  that  the  Convention  has  &  right  only  to 
amend  the  existing  articles  of  confederation.  Edmund  Randolph, 
of  Va.,  offers  a  series  of  resolutions  containing  the  outlines  of 
a  plan  of  government,  29.  This  "Virginia  Plan"  proves 
objectionable  to  the  State  Rights  delegates,  and  the  fact  leads 
Mr.  Patterson,  of  N.  J.,  to  submit  a  scheme  more  in  harmony 
with  their  views.  Both  plans  are  referred  to  a  committee  of  the 
whole,  19  June,  and  the  "New  Jersey  Plan"  is  rejected  the  same 
day.  The  "Virginia  Plan"  is  modified  and  reported  by  the 
committee  of  the  whole,  and  each  of  the  fifteen  resolutions  is 
considered  separately.  The  report  as  amended  is  accepted  by 
the  Convention,  and,  with  the  "  New  Jersey  Plan  "  and  a  third 
one  presented  by  Mr.  Pinckney,  of  S.  C.,  is  referred  to  a  com 
mittee  of  detail,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Rutledge,  Randolph,  Gor- 
ham,  Ellsworth,  and  Wilson;  this  committee  report  the  Consti 
tution,  6  Aug.  It  is  materially  altered  in  several  places  by  the 
Convention  in  accordance  with  compromises  of  a  sectional 
character  or  interest  effected  among  the  delegates;  39  of  the  55 
delegates  to  the  Convention  sign  the  new  constitution,  17  Sep.; 
it  is  immediately  transmitted  to  Congress,  whieli  forwards  it  to 
the  several  State  Conventions  for  ratification;  it  is  adopted 


History  of  the  United  &&&.  101 

1187.     by  Delaware,  7  Dec.,  by  Pennsylvania,  12,  and  by  New  Jersey, 

18,  of  the  present  year. 

The  States  owning  lands  in  the  west  having  ceded  them  to 
the  General  Government,  Congress  passes  an  ordinance,  18 
July,  establishing  a  form  of  government  for  the  territory  of  the 
U.  S.  northwest  of  the  Ohio,  being  substantially  the  plan  drafted 
by  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  had  in  view  the  formation  of  at  least 
17  States  from  the  whole  tract.  Before  passing  the  ordinance, 
the  provision  that  after  the  year  1800  there  shall  be  neither 
slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  in  any  of  the  States,  other 
than  in  the  punishment  of  crimes,  is  stricken  out. 

Thomas  Stone,  of  Md.,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde* 
pendence,  dies,  5  Oct. 

John  Adams  remains  in  England  until  Oct.  of  this  year,when, 
the  British  Court  persisting  in  declining  to  enter  into  a  com 
mercial  treaty  with  the  U.  S.,  or  even  to  appoint  a  minister  to 
the  new  nation,  he  is,  at  his  own  request,  recalled. 

The  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  out  of  gratitude  for  the 
Revolutionary  War  services  of  the  Germans  and  respect  for  their 
industry,  endows  a  college  in  Lancaster  for  their  benefit,  to  be 
forever  under  their  control.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  the 
great  Lutheran  pioneer,  is  chosen  its  first  president. 

South  Carolina  cedes  its  western  territory  to  the  General 
Government. 

The  manufacture  of  cotton  is  first  attempted  in  the  U.  S.  at 
Beverly,  Mass. 

The  manufacture  of  salt,  from  the  Onondaga  Springs,  near 
Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  is  begun. 

'1788.  The  new  constitution  is  ratified  by  Georgia.  2  Jan.;  Connecticut, 
9:  Massachusetts,  7  Feb.;  Maryland,  28  April;  S.  Carolina,  23 
May;  New  Hampshire,  21  June;  Virginia,  27;  New  York,  26 
July;  and  North  Carolina,  conditionally,  7  Aug.  Rhode  Island 
did  not  call  a  ratifying  convention.  In  the  conventions  of  Mas 
sachusetts,  New  York,  and  Virginia,  the  Constitution  encounters 
a  serious  opposition  which  for  a  time  threatens  its  rejection. 
Upon  the  receipt  of  the  ninth  notice  of  ratification  (from  N.  H.), 
the  success  of  the  measure  is  assured.  The  notices  are  referred 
to  a  Congressional  Committee,  who,  14  July,  report  a  resolution 
designating  the  first  Wednesday  in  Jan.  next  for  choosing 
Presidential  electors,  the  first  Wednesday  in  Feb.  for  the  elec 
tors  to  meet  and  vote,  and  the  first  Wednesday  (4)  in  March 
as  the  time,  and  New  York  as  the  place,  for  beginning  national 
operations  under  the  new  Constitution.  Congress  adopts  the 
report,  13  Sept. 

Gen.  Gage,  of  the  Revolutionary  Army,  dies,  2  April,  aged  67. 

John  Penn,  of  N.  C.,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Indepen 
dence,  dies,  Sep. 

It  is  estimated  that  since  the  establismnent  by  Congress  of  a 
government  over  the  Northwest  Territory,  at  least  20,000  men, 
women,  and  children  have  become  settlers  along  the  banks  of 
the  Oliio  River. 

1789.  Thomas  Nelson,  of  Va.,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Indepen* 
dence,  dies.  4  Jan* 


!0ifc  History  of  the  "United  States. 

1789.  Electors  are  chosen  by  10  States  to  cast  votes  for  President 
and  Vice-President  (Jan.). 

The  first  Electoral  College,  consisting  of  69  electors  from  10 
States,  meets  (Feb.),  and  casts  votes  for  President  and  Vice- 
President. 

The  first  national  Congress  of  the  IT.  S.  assembles  in  New 
York,  4  March;  the  House  reports  a  quorum  present,  1  April, 
and  the  Senate,  6;  on  the  latter  clay,  the  temporary  president 
of  the  Senate  reports  that  he  has  counted  the  votes  of  the  Presi 
dential  electors  in  the  presence  of  both  Houses,  and  finds  that 
George  Washington,  of  Va.,  has  been  unanimously  elected 
President  of  the  U.  S.,  and  that  John  Adams,  of  Mass.,  having 
received  the  next  highest  number  of  votes  (34  out  of  69),  is 
elected  Vice-President. 

The  remaining  votes  for  Vice-President  are:  John  Jay,  9; 
R.  H.  Harrison,  6;  John  Rutledge,  6;  John  Hancock,  4;  Geo. 
Clinton,  3;  Samuel  Huntingdon,  2;  John  Milton,  2;  James 
Armstrong,  1;  Benjamin  Lincoln,  1;  and  Edward  Telf air,  1 . 
Adams  takes  his  seat  as  Vice-President  in  the  chair  of  the 
Senate  (21  April). 

Washington  receives  the  official  notice  of  his  election,  at  Mt. 
Vernon,  14  April,  and  reaching  New  York,  23,  is  welcomed  b}r 
the  Governor  and  conducted  with  military  honors  to  quarters 
prepared  for  him.  The  oath  of  office  is  administered  to  him  by 
Chancellor  Livingston  on  the  street  balcony  of  the  City  Hall 
("Federal  Hall,"  as  it  was  afterwards  called),  30,  and  the 
inaugural  address  is  delivered  immediately  after  in  the  Senate 
Chamber  before  both  Houses  of  Congress  :  the  services  are 
concluded  by  the  President  and  the  entire  Congress  attending 
special  services  in  St.  Paul's  Church. 

On  the  reassembling  of  Congress,  the  Senate  devotes  itself 
to  the  organization  of  a  national  judiciary,  and  the  House  to  a 
system  of  revenue.  Oliver  Ellsworth,  of  Conn.,  drafts  a  plan 
for  the  judiciary,  which,  after  being  amended  so  as  to  provide 
for  a  Supreme  Court,  with  one  chief  justice  and  several  associ 
ate  justices,  and  circuit  and  district  courts  with  jurisdiction  over 
specified  cases,  is  concurred  in  by  both  Houses.  In  the  House, 
Mr.  Madison  introduces  a  resolution  calling  for  the  levy  of 
duties  on  certain  goods  imported  into  the  U.  S.  and  on  the  ton 
nage  of  vessels,  in  accordance  with  this,  Congress  passes  its 
first  tariff  law,  4  July,  imposing  specific  duties  on  a  long  list  of 
articles  and  ad  valorem  duties  on  others,  and  establishing  a  dis 
criminating  duty  of  six  cents  a  ton  on  American  and  fifty  cents 
a  ton  on  foreign  vessels,  besides  fixing  the  rate  on  goods 
imported  in  American  vessels  at  10  per  cent,  less  than  if 
brought  in  on  foreign  bottoms. 

Three  executive  departments,  designed  to  aid  the  President 
in  the  management  of  the  Government,  are  created  by  Con 
gress:  the  Department  of  Foreign  Affairs,  or  of  State,  27  July; 
the  Department  of  War,  7  Aug. ;  and  the  Department  of  the 
Treasury,  2  Sep. ;  the  heads  of  the  departments  are  to  be  known 
as  Secretaries,  and  will  receive  an  annual  salary  of  $3,500  each. 
In  filling  the  offices,  Thomas  Jefferson  is  appointed  Secretary 
of  Foreign  Affairs;  Alexander  Hamilton,  Secretary  of -the 


JMstory  of  the  Unite**  States.  103 

1189.  Treasury:  Gen.  Knox  is  continued  as  Secretary  of  War;  and 
Edmund  Randolph  is  appointed  Attorney-General. 

The  President  completes  the  organization  of  the  judiciary 
system  by  appointing  John  Jay,  of  N.  Y.,  Chief  Justice,  and 
Messrs.  John  Ratiedge,  of  S.'C.;  James  Wilson,  of  Penn.; 
William  Cushing,  of  Mass.;  Robert  Harrison,  of  Md.;  and  John 
Blair,  of  Va.,  Associate  Justices. 

Silas  Deane,  U.  S.  Minister  to  France  in  1776,  dies  in  England, 
23  Aug. 

Congresses  passes  a  bill  for  the  temporary  establishment  of  a 
post-office  department,  22  Sep. 

The  Pope  appoints  Rev.  John  Carroll,  of  Md.,  a  Bishop  in 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  with  a  diocese  embracing  the 
whole  of  the  U.  S.,  6  Nov. 

North  Carolina  fully  ratifies  the  new  Constitution,  21  Nov. 

The  first  conference  of  the  congregations  of  United  Brethren 
in  Christ  is  held  in  Baltimore. 

The  first  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
U.  S.  meets  in  Philadelphia ;  at  this  time  there  are  188 
ministers  and  419  churches,  distributed  into  four  synods  and  17 
presbyteries. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  U.  S.  of  America 
holds  its  first  convention  in  Philadelphia  and  adopts  a  constitu 
tion. 

1790.  At  the  request  of  Congress,  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  pre 
sents  a  plan  for  maintaining  the  public  credit,  15  Jan.  Mr. 
Hamilton  proposes  that  the  General  Government  shall  assume 
not  only  the  public,  foreign,  and  domestic  debt,  but  also  the 
debts  of  the  States  incurred  during  the  war;  the  entire  cost  of 
the  war  is  estimated  at  $130,000,000,  exclusive  of  losses  by 
individuals  and  the  States,  computed  at  $40,000,000  more. 
Treasury  payments  have  been  made  to  the  amount  of  nearly 
$93,000,000;  the  foreign  debt  amounts  to  $11,710,378,  and  the 
domestic  debt,  mainly  due  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the 
war,  to  $42,414,085.  Congress  adopts  Mr.  Hamilton's  plan,  9 
March,  and  authorizes  the  President  to  borrow  $12,000,000  to 
pay  off  the  foreign  debt;  it  also  sanctions  an  additional  loan  of 
$21,500,000,  payable  in  certificates  of  the  State  debts.  A  board 
of  commissioners  is  appointed  to  settle  all  claims  against  the 
General  Government. 

Congress  passes  an  Act  to  provide  for  taking  a  census  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  U.S.,  1  March;  the  returns  show  the  popula 
tion  to  be  3,929,326. 

The  territory  southwest  of  the  Ohio,  formerly  belonging  to 
N.  Carolina,  and  subsequently  known  a?  Tennessee,  is  provided 
with  a  Territorial  Government,  26  March. 

The  first  patent-right  law  is  passed,  15  April,  and  the  first 
copyright  law,  31  May. 

Benjamin  Franklin  dies  at  Philadelphia,  17  April,  aged  84. 

Rhode  Island  ratifies  the  new  Constitution,  29  May. 

Congress  decides,  16  July,  to  fix  the  seat  of  Government  at 
Philadelphia  for  10  years,  and  afterwards  permanently  at  some 
point  on  the  Potomac  Hirer- 


104  History  of  the  United  States. . 

1790.  The  Indians  on  the  northwest  frontier  having  begun  commit* 
ting  depredations  upon  white  settlers,  Congress  authorizes  the 
raising  of  1500  men,  300  regulars  and  the  remainder  Pennsyl 
vania  and  Kentucky  militia.      The  command  is  given  to  Gen. 
Harmar,  who  is  instructed  to  penetrate  to  the  Indian  settle 
ments  on  the  Scioto  and  Wabash  Rivers,  and  destroy  them. 
Many  of  the  towns  are  burned  and  a  large  quantity  of  corn  is 
destroyed,  but  in  two  battles  in  Indiana,  17,  22  Oct.,  the  army 
suffers  a  serious  defeat.  On  Gen.  Harmar's  defeat,  Gen.  Arthur 
St.  Glair,  Governor  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  is  appointed  to 
succeed  him,  and  a  new  campaign  is  projected. 

Sir  Guy  Caiieton  is  created  Baron  Dorchester  and  appointed 
Governor  of  all  the  British  forces  in  North  America,  except  in 
Newfoundland. 

Maryland  and  Virginia  cede  to  the  U.  S.  a  total  of  10  square 
miles  on  each  side  of  the  Potomac  for  the  seat  of  the  national 
Government. 

The  national  revenue  for  the  year  is  reported  at  $4,771,000; 
the  imports  are  $23,000,000;  and  the  exports,  $20,205,156. 

1791.  After  a  lengthy  and  most  excited  debate,  Congress  passes  a  bill, 

9  Feb.,  to  charter  a  national  bank,  to  be  located  in  Philadelphia, 
and  to  have  a  capital  of  $10,000,000,  of  which  $2,000,000  is  to 
be  subscribed  for  the  benefit  of  the  U.  S.  Government,  and  the 
remainder  by  citizens.  The  duration  of  the  charter  is  limited  to 
4  March,  1811,  and  the  faith  of  the  U.  S.  is  pledged  that  no 
other  bank  shall  be  established  under  its  authority  during  this 
period.  The  books  of  subscription  are  opened  in  July,  and  tho 
popular  demand  is  much  larger  than  the  legal  limit. 

Early  in  the  spring,  Gen.  Scott  leads  a  body  of  Kentucky 
volunteers  against  the  hostile  Indians  on  the  Wabash.  A  second 
expedition,  under  Gen.  Wilkinson,  is  sent  out,  July;  and  Gen. 
St.  Clair  takes  the  field  with  2000  men,  Sop.  While  encamped 
80  miles  north  of  Fort  Washington,  St.  Clair  is  surprised  by  the 
Indians,  4  Nov.,  and  defeated  with  a  loss  of  900  men  in  killed 
and  wounded.  Gen.  St.  Clair  resigns  the  command  of  the  army, 
and  Gen.  Wayne  is  appointed  his  successor. 

Vermont,  formed  from  territory  formerly  belonging  to  New 
York,  and  with  an  area  of  10,212  square  miles,  having  adopted 
the  Constitution,  is  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  State,  4  March. 

Benjamin  Harrison,  of  Va.,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  ol 
Independence,  dies,  April. 

Under  Washington's  direction  the  political  capital  of  the  U. 
S.  is  planned  and  laid  out  by  Andrew  Ellicott;  the  President 
desires  it  to  be  called  the  Federal  City,  but  it  is  named  after 
him,  9  Sep. 

The  2d  Congress  assembles,  24  Oct.;  an  apportionment  of 
representatives,  according  to  the  census  of  last  year,  is  made; 
both  Houses  pass  a  bill  making  the  apportionment  conformable 
to  a  ratio  of  30,000.  The  President  vetoes  this  as  unconstitu 
tional  by  reason  of  the  contemplated  distribution  of  fractional 
representatives;  a  bill,  fixing  the  ratio  at  33,000,  and  apportion 
ing  the  representatives  according  to  the  President's  views,  is 
then  adopted;  this  ratio  gives  the  House  a  membership  of  105. 
In  his  message,  the  President  suggests  a  modification  of  ttie  Act 


History  of  the  Lnited  States.  105 

9 

1791.  laying  duties  on  spirits  distilled  in  the  U.  S.,  as  the  law  has  pro- 
yoked  strong  popular  opposition  and  led  to  numerous  assaults 
upon  revenue  officers  wliile  attempting  to  collect  the  duties;    a 
slight  modification  is  accordingly  made,  but  not  sufficient  to 
allay  the  discontent. 

The  first  Sunday  School  Society  in  the  U.  S.  is  organized  in 
Philadelphia. 

Samuel  Salter,  a  young  English  cotton-spinner,  with  Moses 
Brown,  inaugurates  cotton-spinning  in  the  U.  S.  at  Pawtucket, 
R.  I.,  starting  three  cards,  drawing  and  roving,  and  72  spindles, 
which  are  worked  by  an  old  fulling-mill  water-wheel  in  a 
clothiers'  establishment,  the  machinery  being  made  by  Slater 
himself. 

The  Legislature^  Pennsylvania  passes  an  Act  appropriating 
o,000  acres  of  land  to  the  Free  School  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 
in  Philadelphia,  as  a  further  testimonial  to  German  thrift. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  87,207,539;  the  debt 
is  $75,463,470;  the  imports  are  $29,200,000;  and  the  exports, 
$19,012,041. 

1792.  Congress   passes    laws  for  the  encouragement  of  fishing,   by 

granting  bounties  to  the  owners  of  fishing-vessels  and  to  the 
fisherman;  for  providing  more  effectually  for  the  public  defense, 
by  establishing  a  uniform  militia  system;  for  authorizing  the 
President,  in  case  of  invasion  or  insurrection,  to  call  out  the 
militia;  for  establishing  a  mint  and  regulating  the  national 
coinage;  for  reorganizing  the  post-office;  for  regulating  the 
election  of  President  and  Vice-President;  and  for  declaring 
what  officer  shall  act  as  President  in  case  of  vacancy  in  the 
offices  of  President  and  Vice-President;  and  adjourns,  8  May. 

Captain  Gray  discovers  and  enters  the  Columbia  River,  .11 
May. 

Kentucky,  formed  from  territory  formerly  belonging  to  Vir- 
ginia,  and  with  an  area  of  37,600  square  miles,  is  admitted  into 
the  Union  as  a  State,  1  June. 

Lord  North,  the  Minister  of  George  III. ;  under  whose  admin, 
istration  England  lost  her  American  colonies,  dies,  July, 
aged  60. 

Gen.  Burgpyne  dies  in  a  fit,  in  London,  4  Aug.,  aged  60;  his 
remains  are  interred  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

The  Reformed  Church  in  the  U.  S.  severs  its  connection  with 
the  parent  body  in  Europe. 

Washington,  though  anxious  to  retire  to  private  life,  is  per 
suaded  to  accept  a  renomination  as  Presidential  candidate.  In 
the  elections,  15  States,  with  132  electors,  vote:  Washington 
receives  the  total  vote,  and  is  declared  unanimously  elected;  of 
the  candidates  for  Vice-President,  John  Adams,  Mass., receives 
77  votes;  George  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  50;  Thomas  Jefferson,  Va., 
4;  and  Aaron  Burr,  N.  Y.,  1;  Mr.  Adams  being  re-elected. 

A  strong  opposition  to  the  President's  administration  is 
developed  throughout  the  year,  and  the  differences  between  the 
Federalist  Part y7  headed  by  Alexander  Hamilton,  which  embra 
ces  those  who  favor  the  concentration  or  power  in  the  General 
Government,  and  the  Republican  Party,  headed  by  Thomas 
Jefferson,  which  advocates  the  diffusion  of  power  among  the 


106  History  of  the  United  States. 

1792.  people,  are  eagerly  assumed  by  the  public.  The  antagonism  of 
his  chief  secretaries  causes  Washington  great  concern. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $9,141,569;  the  debt 
is  $77,227,924;  the  imports  are  $31,500,000;  and  the  exports, 
$20,753,098. 

1793.  Congress  fixes  the  salary  of  the  President  of  the  U.  S.  at  $25,- 

000  per  annum,  8  Feb. 

The  first  fugitive-slave  law,  providing  for  the  return  of  fugi 
tives  from  justice  and  persons  escaping  from  the  service  of  their 
masters,  by  requisition  of  the  Governor  of  the  State  from  whence 
they  escaped  on  the  Governor  of  the  State  in  which  they  may 
be  found,  and  inflicting  a  penalty  of  a  fine  and  imprisonment 
for  harboring,  concealing,  or  aiding  in  their  escape,  is  passed  by 
Congress,  12  Feb. 

The  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  decides  that  a  State  may  be  sued 
by  a  citizen  of  another  State,  Feb.;  this  decision  leads  to  the 
adoption  of  the  llth  amendment  to  the  Constitution. 

Edmund  C.  Genet,  Minister  from  the  newly  -  established 
Republic  of  France,  reaches  the  U.  S.,  8  April;  he  immediately 
begins  to  fit  out  privateers  to  prey  upon  the  commerce  of  Eng 
land,  Spain,  and  Holland,  against  whom  France  has  declared 
war,  and  demands  the  immediate  payment  of  the  remainder  of 
the  French  debtof  the  U.  S.,  although  not  yet  due.  ThePresident 
issues  a  proclamation  of  warning  and  neutrality,  9  May;  Genet 
insists  on  the  right  to  arm  vessels  in  the  ports  of  the  U.  S.  as 
well  as  to  try  and  sell  prizes  there.  He  encourages  the  forma 
tion  of  democratic  societies  on  the  plan  of  the  Jacobin  Clubs  of 
Paris,  and  sets  on  foot  two  military  expeditions  against  the 
Spanish  dominions,  one  from  S.  Carolina  and  Georgia  for  the 
invasion  of  the  Floridas,  the  other  from  Kentucky  against  New 
Orleans  and  Louisiana.  The  President  calls  a  cabinet  meeting, 
11  July,  when,  the  conduct  of  Genet  having  become  intolerable, 
it  is  unanimously  decided  to  demand  of  France  his  recall. 

Roger  Sherman,  of  Conn.,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  dies,  23  July. 

The  President  lays  the  corner-stone  of  the  Capitol  building 
t*  Washington,  with  Masonic  ceremonies,  18  Sep. 

John  Hancock,  President  of  the  Continental  Congress  in 
1776,  and  first  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  dies, 
8  Oct.,  aged  50. 

The  3d  Congress  convenes,  2  Dec.;  in  the  House,  Frederick 
A.  Muhlenburg,  of  Penn.,  is  elected  Speaker  over  Theodore 
Sedgwick,  of  Mass.,  indicating  an  opposition  majority.  Mr. 
Jefferson  makes  an  elaborate  report  to  the  House,  16,  on  the 
commercial  condition  of  the  U.  S.;  he  says  that,  of  the  exports, 
nearly  one-half  are  carried  to  Great  Britain  and  her  dominions, 
and  that  about  four-rifths  of  the  imports  come  from  the  same 
countries  The  American  shipping  is  277,519  tons,  of  which 
not  quite  one-sixth  is  employed  in  the  trade  with  the  above 
countries;  in  all  the  nations  of  Europe  most  of  our  products 
bear  heavy  duties,  and  some  articles  are  wholly  prohibited. 
France  has  recently  relaxed  some  of  her  restraints,  while  Spain 
has  made  free  ports  of  New  Orleans,  Pensacola,  and  St.  Augus 
tine,  and  given  us  free  access  to  her  West  India  Islands. 


History  of  the  United  States.  107 

1793.  Thomas   Jefferson     resigns   the  Secretaryship  of    Foreign 
Affairs,  31  Dec.;  Edmund  Randolph  is  appointed  his  successor; 
and  the  office  of  Attorney-General,  vacated  by  the  appoint 
ment,  is  filled  by  William  Bradford,  of  Penn. 

Eli  Whitney,  of  Conn.,  invents  the  cotton  gin. 

Count  D'Estaing,  Admiral  of  the  French  fleet  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  Revolutionary  War  is  guillotined  in  Paris, 
for  alleged  treason,  aged  65. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $7,529,575;  the  debt 
is  $80,352,634;  the  imports  are  $31,000,000;  and  the  exports, 
$26,109,572. 

1794.  The    popular  indignation    against    Great    Britain    is  strongly 

reflected  in  the  national  legislation.  Mr.  Madison,  4  Jan.,  intro 
duces  resolutions  in  the  House,  declaring  it  expedient  to  increase 
the  duties  on  the  tonnage  of  vessels  of  nations  which  have  no 
commercial  treaties  with  the  U.  S.,  and  on  their  manufactures 
of  leather,  metals,  wool,  cotton,  hemp,  flax,  and  silk,  and  to 
reduce  the  tonnage  duties  on  vessels  of  nations  having  such 
treaties;  and  to  increase  the  duty  on  importations  from  the 
West  Indies  in  foreign  vessels  from  ports  from  which  American 
are  excluded.  A  notable  debate  is  had  on  the  resolutions,  but 
the  House  comes  to  no  decision.  A  report,  made  in  response  to 
a  resolution  declaring  that  a  naval  force  adequate  to  the  pro 
tection  of  the  commerce  of  the  U.  S.  against  the  Algerine  cor 
sairs  ought  to  be  provided,  is  taken  up,  5  Feb.,  and  a  bill  pro 
viding  for  the  construction  of  6  frigates,  4  of  44  guns  and  'A  of 
36  each,  is  passed  by  both  Houses  and  signed  by  the  President, 
Mr.  Sedgwick  proposes,  12  March,  to  raise  a  military  force  of 
15,000  men  and  to  authorize  the  President  to  lay  an  embargo 
on  foreign  vessels  for  40  days;  his  resolutions  are  lost,  but  the 
subject  is  again  brought  up,  26,  when  a  substitute  is  adopted 
laying  an  embargo  for  30  days  on  all  vessels  in  the  ports  of  the 
U.  S.,  bound  to  any  foreign  place.  A  bill  is  also  passed  for 
fortifying  certain  ports  and  harbors.  Mr.  Smith  declares  that 
provision  ought  to  be  made  for  the  indemnification  of  all  citiz 
ens  of  the  U.  S.,  whose  vessels  or  cargoes  have  been  seized  and 
confiscated  by  any  of  the  belligerent  "powers,  upon  which,  Mr. 
Dayton  moves  a  resolution  for  the  sequestration  of  all  debts 
flue  from  American  citizens  to  British  subjects,  and  to  compel 
their  payment  into  the  treasury  as  a  fund  for  the  proposed 
indemnification.  Mr.  Clark  introduces  a  more  stringent  resolu 
tion,  7  April,  to  prohibit  all  commercial  intercourse  with  Great 
Britain,  so  far  as  respects  the  products  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  until  her  government  shall  make  compensation  for 
injuries  sustained  by  citizens  of  the  U.  S.  from  British  armed 
vessels,  and  until  the  western  posts  are  vacated.  The  House 
strikes  out  the  western-posts  clause  and  passes  the  resolution, 
but  the  Senate  defeats  it  bv  the  casting  vote  of  the  Vice- 
President. 

While  Congress  is  thus  fanning  the  war  flame,  the  President 
determines  on  an  effort  at  negotiation,  and,  16  April,  nominates 
Chief  Justice  Jay  as  Envoy  Extraordinary  of  theU.  S.  to  Great 
Britain.  He  is  instructed  to  labor  for  restitution  for  spoliations 
of  American  commerce,  the  fulfillment  of  the  treaty  of  peace? 


108  History  of  the   {MtecC  Mates. 

1794.  and,  if  successful  in  these,  tor  a  treaty  of  commerce.   Mr.  Jay 
embarks  on  his  mission,  13  May. 

The  President  having  insisted  upon  the  recall  of  the  French 
Minister,  Genet,  his  place  is  supplied  by  M.  Fauchet,  who  is 
instructed  to  assure  the  American  Government  that  France  dis 
approves  of  the  conduct  of  his  predecessor. 

Shortly  after  the  adjournment  of  Congress,  9  June,  the  dis 
content  with  the  law  levying  duties  on  distilled  spirits  leads  to, 
an  open  insurrection  in  western  Pennsylvania,  which  gradually 
spreads  into  Virginia.  The  President  issues  proclamations 
against  the  insurgents,  7  Aug.  and  25  Sep.;  these,  having  no 
effect,  are  followed  by  an  order  calling  out  the  militia  of  Vir 
ginia,  Maryland,  Pennsylvania,  and  New  J  ey.  Gen.  Henry 
Lee,  Governor  of  Virginia,  is  placed  in  command,  and  proceed 
ing  to  the  insurgents'  district, Oct.,  soon  quells  the  disturbances. 

During  the  winter,  Gen.  Wayne  builds  Fort  Recovery,  near 
the  scene  of  St.  Glair's  defeat  by  the  Indians;  he  advances  into 
the  Indian  country  during  the  summer,  builds  Fort  Defiance, 
a:id,  moving  down  the  Maumee  River  with  3000  men,  strikes 
the  hostiles  near  the  rapids,  20  Aug.,  and  completely  routs 
them,  and  then  lays  their  country  waste. 

John  Witherspoon,  of  N.  J.,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  dies,  15  Nov. 

Baron  Steuben,  of  the  Revolutionary  Army,  dies  at  Steuben- 
ville,  N.  Y.,  28  Nov.,  aged  01. 

The  national  expenses  of  the  year  are  $9,302,124;  the  debt 
is  $78,427,404;  the  imports  are  $34,600,000;  and  the  exports, 
$33,026,233. 

1795.  Secretary  Hamilton  reports  a  plan,   15  Jan.,   for  the  redemp 

tion  of  the  public  debt,  and  an  Act  based  upon  it  is  adopted  by 
both  Houses;  it  establishes  a  sinking  fund,  consisting  of  the 
surplus  revenues,  of  bank  dividends,  and  the  proceeds  of  the 
•?ales  of  public  lands;  the  duties  on  domestic  spirits  and  on 
stills  are  to  be  continued  only  until  1801,  and  all  other  duties 
are  pledged  to  the  payment  of  the  debt. 

Gen.  Sullivan,  of  the  Revolutionary  Army,  dies,  23  Jan. 

Alexander  Hamilton,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  resigns,  31 
Jan.,  and  is  succeeded  by  Oliver  Wolcott,  of  Conn. 

The  President  receives  a  copy  of  a  treaty  of  amity,  commerce, 
and  navigation,  concluded  by  Chief  Justice  Jay  and  Lord  Gran- 
ville,  19  Nov.  on  7  March;  he  submits  it  to  the  Senate  in  special 
session,  8  June;  after  violent  debates  it  is  ratified  by  a  vote  of 
20  to  10  (24).  The  treaty  secures  indemnity  to  American  mer 
chants  for  the  seizure  of  their  property  by  British  vessels,  and 
pledges  a  surrender  of  the  western  posts  by  1  June,  1796. 

By  Act  of  Congress  it  is  provided  that  after  the  1st  May  the 
national  flag  shall  consist  of  15  stripes,  alternate  red  and 
white,  with  a  union  of  15  white  stars  in  a  blue  field. 

Josiah  Burtlett,  of  N.  H.,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  dies,  17  May. 

About  1100  chiefs  and  warriors  of  the  western  Indian  tribes 
meet  U.  S.  Commissioners  at  Greenville,  3  Aug.,  and  sign  a 
treaty  of  peace,  ceding  a  large  tract  of  land  to  the  U.  S. 

A  treaty  of  peace  is  signed  between  the  U.  S.  and  Algiers,  5 


History  of  the   United  States.  109 

•  ^ 

1795.  Sep.,  by  which  all  American  captives  are  released  from  impris 
onment  upon  the  payment  of  an  annual  tribute  by  the  U.  S.  to 
the  Dey. 

The  long-pending  disputes  between  the  U.  S.  and  Spain  are 
settled  by  a  treaty,  27  Oct.,  in  which  Spain  concedes  the  claim 
of  the  U.  S.  in  the  matter  of  the  Florida  boundary,  and  the 
right  to  a  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi.  Compensation  is 
to  be  made  to  American  citizens  for  property  illegally  seized  by 
Spanish  cruisers. 

The  4th  Congress  meets,  7  Dec.,  and  the  Senate,  by  a  vote  of 
14  to  8,  approves  the  foreign  policy  of  the  President. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton,  Governor  of  Gibraltar,  dies,  23  Dec., 
aged  57. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $10,405,069;  the  debt 
is  $80,747,587;  the  imports  are  $69,756,268;  and  the  exports, 
$47,989,472. 

1796.  The  Republic  of  France  presents  a  flag  to  the  American  Govern 

ment,  through  Minister  Adet  and  President  Washington,  1  Jan. 

Samuel  Huntington,  of  Conn.,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  dies.  5  Jan.,  aged  68. 

The  French  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  informs  U.  S.  Minis 
ter  Monroe,  Feb.,  that  the  French  Directory  consider  the  alli 
ance  between  the  U.  S.  and  France  ended  by  the  Jay  treaty; 
that  the  French  Minister  to  the  U.  S.  is  to  be  recalled;  and  that 
a  special  envoy  is  to  be  sent  to  make  the  announcement.  A  few 
days  later,  Mr.  Monroe  is  served  with  a  long  list  of  complaints 
preferred  by  the  French  Government  against  the  U.  S.  The 
President  recalls  Mr.  Monroe,  9  Sep.,  appointing  Charles  C. 
Pinckney,  of  S.  C.,  in  his  place;  then-  letters  are  presented,  9 
Dec.  Two  days  afterward,  Mr.  Monroe  is  informed  by  the 
French  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  that  the  Directory  will  no 
longer  recognize  a  Minister  from  the  U.  S.  until  after  a 
reparation  of  the  grievances  demanded  of  the  American 
Government. 

RufusKing,  of  N.  Y.,  is  appointed  U.  S.  Minister  to  England, 
20  May,  to  succeed  Thomas  Pinckney,  recalled  at  his  own 
request. 

Tennessee  is  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  State,  with  an  area 
of  45,600  square  miles,  1  June. 

President  Washington,  declining  another  election,  issues  his 
valedictory  to  the  American  people,  17  Sep. 

Gen.  Anthony  Wayne,  of  the  Revolutionary  army,  dies  at 
Presque  Isle,  17  Sep.,  aged  51. 

With  Washington  out  of  the  field,  the  Presidential  campaign 
gives  the  two  political  parties  the  first  practical  opportunity  for 
measuring  then'  strength  before  the  country.  The  Federalists 
nominate  John  Adams  for  the  Presidency,  and  the  Republicans, 
Thomas  Jefferson.  Sixteen  States,  with  138  electors,  vote  this 
year,  with  the  following  results:  John  Adams,  71;  Thomas 
Jefferson,  68;  Thomas  Pinckney,  59;  Aaron  Burr,  30;  Samuel 
Adams,  15;  Oliver  Ellsworth,  11;  George  Clinton,  7;  John  Jay, 
5;  James  Iredell,  3  ;  Samuel  Johnston,  2 ;  George  Washington, 
2;  John  Henry,  2;  and  Charles  C.  Pinckney,  1.  John  Adams 
is  therefore  elected  second  President  of  the  U.  S.,  and 


<10  History  of  the  United  States. 

1796.  Thomas  Jefferson,  Vice-President.      A  Maryland  Elector  casts 
both  votes  for  Adams,  the  first  piece  of  "practical  politics." 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $8,867,776$  the  debt 
is  183,762,172:  the  imports  are  $81,436,164:  and  the  exports, 
$67,064,097. 

1797.  John  Adams  is  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States,  and 

Thomas  Jefferson  as  Vice-President  (4  March). 

Washington  retires  from  public  life. 

The,  hitherto  friendly  relations  of  the  United  States  with 
France  are  interrupted.  The  treaty  negotiated  by  Jay  between 
the  United  States  and  England  has  given  offence  to  France. 
The  French  Directory  issues  decrees  against  American  com 
merce,  on  the  alleged  ground  of  a  violation  by  the  United 
States  of  her  neutral  stand  between  England  and  France. 
Ships  flying  the  American  flag  are  captured  by  French  cruis 
ers,  and  condemned,  in  alleged  violation  of  treaty  provisions 
and  international  law.  Gerry,  Marshall,  and  Pinckney  are  sent 
to  France  as  Special  Envoys  to  remonstrate  and  negotiate  a  new 
treaty. 

An  epidemic  of  yellow  fever  appears  for  the  second  time  in 
Philadelphia,  and  delays  for  some  time  the  opening  of  the 
Second  session  ot  the  Fifth  Congress. 

The  Quakers  of  Philadelphia  present  a  petition  to  Congress 
against  slavery*  Congress  after  debate  refuses  to  receive  it. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $8,626,012;  the  debt  is 
182,064,479  ;  the  imports  are  $75,379.406  ,  and  the  exports, 
$56,850,206. 

1798.  The  condition  of   affairs  with" France  still  continues  unsettled. 

The  despatches  of  the  Special  Envoys  to  the  President  are  made 
public,  in  which  it  appears  that  Talleyrand  had  refused  to  treat 
with  them  until  a  bribe  had  first  been  presented  to  the 
Directory.  The  names  of  the  three  agents  of  Talleyrand 
who  attempted  to  secure  the  bribe  in  Tallyrand's  name 
are  designated  in  the  despatches  as  X.  Y.  Z.  The  publication 
of  the  X.  Y.  Z.  despatches  produces  great  excitement,  and  is 
quickly  followed  by  the  return  of  two  of  the  Special  Envoys, 
without  having  negotiated  any  settlement  of  difficulties.  The 
country  is  aroused  to  a  high  pitch  of  resentment  against  France, 
and  Congress  votes  appropriations  for  increasing  the  Navy  and 
Army.  During  the  greater  part  of  this  year,  although  there 
has  been  no  formal  declaration  of  war  between  the  countries, 
France  and  the  United  States  maintain  a  small  naval  warfare 
against  each  other  in  the  waters  around  the  West  Indies;  ves 
sels  are  captured  and  their  crews  taken  prisoners.  Hostilities 
cease  toward  the  end  of  the  year. 

The  song  "Hail  Columbia"  is  written  by  Joseph  Hopkinson, 
to  the  music  of  "The  President's  March,  "  composed  in  1789, 
and  becomes  the  popular  song  of  the  day. 

The  political  proverb,  "  Millions  for  Defence  and  not  one 
Cent  for  Tribute,"  is  originally  used  by  Charles  C.  Pinckney, 
one  of  the  Special  Envoys  to  France.  The  name  Democrat  is 
first  applied  to  designate  a  political  party  to  those  members  of 
the  "  Republican  "  Party  who  are  friendly  to  France;  the  term 
is  used  by  the  Federalists  as  an  "  epithet  of  reproach." 


History  of  the   United  States.  Ill 

1798-  The  Naturalization  Laws  are  amended  so  as  to  require  a  resi 
dence  in  the  country  of  fourteen  years,  instead  of  five  as  for 
merly  required. 

An  Act  is  passed  by  Congress  suspending  all  commercial 
relations  with  France. 

The  sloop  of  war  Delaware,  under  the  command  of  Decatur, 
captures  a  French  privateer. 

The  press  exerts  a  powerful  influence  in  shaping  public 
opinion.  The  greater  number  of  newspapers  are  edited  by 
foreigners.  Philadelphia  has  8  daily  papers,  New  York  5  or  6, 
and  Boston,  though  it  has  no  dailies,  publishes  5  or  6  semi- 
weeklies.  The  tone  of  the  press  is  violent  and  abusive  of  pub 
lic  men;  but  the  best  papers  have  contrib  ators  among  the  dis 
tinguished  men  of  the  day,  such  as  Hamilton  and  Madison. 
The  Minerva,  a  New  York  City  daily,  es;ablished  in  1794,  at 
abouf  *•'-{?  time  changes  it?  name  to  the  Commercial  Advertiser. 
It  is  edited  by  Noah  Webster,  who  subsequently  became  the 
author  of  "Webster's  Dictionary." 

The  Alien  and  Sedition  Acts  are  passed  by  Congress.  They 
provide  generally  by  fine  and  imprisonment  against  conspiracy 
against  the  Government,  against  scandalous  writings  against 
the  Government  and  the  country.  They  had  their  origin  in 
the  hostile  feeling  of  the  country  against  France,  and  were 
particularly  aimed  at  foreigners  who  edited  newspapers. 

Imprisonment  for  debt,  in  so  far  as  regards  debts  due  to  the 
United  States,  is  abolished,  under  certain  restrictions. 

Georgia  prohibits  the  further  importation  of  slaves  from 
Africa  or  any  foreign  country:  N.  and  S.  Carolina  had  passed 
similar  laws  previously. 

Washington  is  offered  the  position  of  Lieutenant-Genera] 
and  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army  (July);  he  accepts 
most  reluctantly,  and  only  because  open  war  with  France 
seems  imminent. 

The  Navy  consists  of  3  frigates,  12  sloops-of-war  carrying 
from  28  to  24  guns,  and  8  armed  cutters;  there  are  also  365 
armed  merchantmen.  Congress  makes  large  appropriations 
for  the  construction  of  new  war  vessels,  and  provides  for  the 
increase  _of  the  army  in  case  of  invasion. 

nul 
ment 

resolutions, 

case  the  general  Government,  in  the  State's  opinion,  exercises 

ungranted  power,  are  drafted  by  Madison. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $8,613,507  ;  the  debt 
is  $79,228,529  ;  the  imports  are  $68,551,700  :  and  the  exports, 
$61,527,097. 
1769.  The  Kentucky  Legislature  passes  Resolutions  of  Nullification. 

The  Constellation  defeats  the  French  ship  L'Insurgente  in  the 
Westr Indies,  and  sends  it  to  the  U.  S.  as  a  prize. 

Washington  dies  (14  Dec.)  at  Mount  Vernon,  aged  67. 

The  Legislature  of  New  York  passes  an  Act  for  the  gradual 
extinction  of  slavery. 

Peace  is  made  with  France;  Napoleon  Bonaparte  had  over- 


112  Histwry  of  the  United  States. 

1799.  thrown  the  Directory  and  offered  fair  terms  to  the  United! 

States. 

Governor  M'Kcan,  of  Pennsylvania,  inaugurates  the  "spoils 
system"  of  appointment  and  removal  of  officials  on  partisan 
grounds. 

The  Government  negotiates  a  loan  of  $5,000,000  at  8  per 
cent. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $11,077,043;  the  debt? 
is  $78,408,669;  the  imports  are  $79,089,148  ;  and  the  exports, 
$78,665,522. 

1800.  The  capital  is  moved  to  Washington ;  only  the  north  wing  of 

the  Congressional  building  is  completed,  but  it  is  fitted  up  for 
both  Houses  ;  the  President's  residence  is  completed  externally. 

A  Republican  Congressional  caucus  in  Philadelphia  nominates 
Jefferson  and  Burr  for  President — the  first  nominations  ever 
made.  The  object  is  to  give  the  Presidency  and  Vice-Presidency 
to  one  party.  Jefferson  and  Burr  each  receive  78  votes  for 
President,  Adams  65,  C.  C.  Pinkney  64,  John  Jay  1.  A 
Rhode  Island  Federal  elector  seeing  the  danger  of  a  tie,  which 
happens,  to  the  Republicans,  throws  away  a  vote. 

As  Jefferson  and  Burr  receive  the  same  numl.er  of  votes  for 
President,  the  election  is  thrown  upon  the  House  of 
Representatives,  who  elect  Jefferson  President,  and  Burr  Vice- 
President 

The  census  shows  the  population  to  be  5,308,483,  of  whom 
896,849  are  slaves.  The  population  of  New  York  City  is 
60,489  ;  Philadelphia,  40,000;  Boston,  24,937. 

An  epidemic  of  yellow  fever  visits  Baltimore. 

Certain  free  colored  men,  inhabitants  of  Philadelphia,  pre 
sent  a  petition  to  Congress,  setting  forth  that  slaves  are  exported 
from  the  United  States  into  foreign  countries,  and  begging 
Congress  to  prepare  the  way  for  emancipation.  Congress 
refuses  to  refer  the  petition  to  any  Committee. 

Congress  passes  the  first  general  bankrupt  law,  modelled 
upon  the  English  law,  and  extended  only  to  merchants  and 
traders. 

The  Territory  of  Indiana,  named  after  one  of  the  old  Land 
Companies,  is  established  (7  May). 

Holt,  Cooper,  and  Callender,  three  editors  of  newspapers, 
are  tried  under  the  Sedition  Act,  charged  with  publishing  libels 
tending  to  defame  the  President,  and  are  convicted  and  fined 
and  imprisoned. 

The  city  of  Washington  has  one  good  tavern  and  very  few 
houses  in  any  one  place,  most  of  them  small  huts.  The  Wrar 
Office  and  Treasury  Building  are  burned  down. 

A  Bill  for  a  monument  to  Washington  passes  the  House,  but 
after  being  amended  by  the  Senate,  is  postponed.  Fifty  years 
later  the  monument  was  begun  by  funds  raised  by  private  sub 
scription. 

Fifty  French  privateers  are  captured  by  American  cruisers 
during  the  year. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $11,989,739;  the  debt 
is  $82,976,291 ;  the  imports  are  $91,252.768  ;  and  the  exports, 
$70,970,780 


History'  of  the   United  Stales,  113 

1301  The  Judiciary  of  the  United  States  is  reorganized.  The  Judges 
of  the  Supreme  Court  are  to  be  five  in  number.  The  country 
is  divided  into  6  circuits,  comprising  23  districts.  The  Presi 
dent;  John  Adams,  appoints  John  Marshall  Chief  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court. 

The  Presidential  election  is  thrown  in  the  House,  eight  States 
voting  for  Jefferson,  six  for  Burr,  and  two  dividing.  On 
the  36th  ballot  Jefferson  receives  eight  votes  and  Burr  four, 
with  two  blanks.  Jefferson  is  declared  President  and  Burr 
Yieei-President. 

Jefferson  is  inaugurated  President  (4  March). 

The  first  written  "  Message  "  from  the  President  to  Congress 
on  the  opening  of  the  session  is  read  aloud  by  the  Clerk.  The 
custom  of  speeches  and  answers  which  had  prevailed  previously 
is  abolished  on  this  occasion,  and  has  never  since  been  revived. 

The  Bey  of  Tripoli,  being  dissatisfied  with  the  amount  paid 
him  by  the  U.  S.  as  the  price  of  a  treaty,  declares  war  (10  June) 
against  the  U.  S.;  and  4  men-of-war,  under  Commodore  Dale, 
are  sent  to  Tripoli.  The  Experiment,  man-of-war,  captures  a 
Tripolitan  cruiser,  after  a  three  hours'  fight.  The  U.  S.  stand 
ing-army  is  reduced  to  3,000  men. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $12,273,376;  the  debt 
is  $83,038,050  ;  the  imports  are  $111,363,511;  and  the  exports, 
$94,115,925. 

1802.  Ohio  is  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  State  (29  Nov.). 

The  tax  on  distilled  spirits  is  repealed. 

The  Judiciary  Act  of  1801  is  repealed,  and  another  Act  i? 
passed  instituting  the  system  of  Courts  which  still  remains 
substantially  unchanged. 

The  Naturalization  Laws  of  1798,  which  required  of  an 
applicant  for  citizenship  a  14  years'  residence  in  the  country, 
are  repealed,  and  Acts  are  passed  making  a  five  years'  resi 
dence  necessary  (as  under  the  first  Acts  passed).  This  limit  of 
time  has  ever  since  remained  in  force. 

The  West  Point  Military  Academy  is  established. 

The  first  manufactory  of  sheet-copper  in  the  U.  S.  is  estab 
lished  in  Massachusetts. 

Strong  religious  antagonism  between  the  Congregationalists 
of  New  England  and  the  Episcopalians  of  the  South,  prevails 
throughout  the  country.  Thomas  Paine's  book,  "  The  Age  of 
Reason,"  creates  many  freethinkers,  of  whom  Jefferson  is 
said  to  be  one. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $13,276,084;  the  debt 
is  $80,712,632 ;  the  imports  are  $76,333,333  ;  and  the  exports, 
$72,483,160. 

1803.  The  United  States  purchase  Louisiana  from  France  for  $15,000,000 

(30  April).  This  territory  has  since  been  divided  into  the 
States  of  Louisiana,  Arkansas, Missouri,  Iowa,  Kansas,  Nebraska, 
the  Territories  of  Dakota,  Montana,  and  Indian  Territory, 
a  large  part  of  the  States  of  Minnesota  and  Colorado,  and  the 
Territory  of  Wyoming.  ^ 

The  first  cotton-mill  in  New  Hampshire  is  established. 

The  first  bank  in  Cincinnati  is  established. 

The  naval  war  against  Tripoli  continues. 


I H  History  of  the   United  States. 

1803.  The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $11,258,983: 
the  debt  is  $77,054,686;  the  value  of  imports,  $64,666,666:  and 
of  exports,  $55,800,038. 

1804.  Lewis  and  Clarke,  in  command  of  a  land  expedition,  explore  the 

upper  Missouri  and  the  north-west  section  of  the  country  about 
the  Columbia  River. 

New  Jersey  passes  an  Act  (15  Feb.)  securing  freedom  to  all 
persons  born  in  that  State  after  the  4th  of  July,  1804. 

The  Bankruptcy  Act  of  1800  is  repealed. 

Hamilton  is  killed  in  a  duel  with  Burr. 

Commodore  Preble,  in  the  ship  Constitution,  bombards  Tripoli. 

An  amendment  to  the  Constitution  is  adopted,  by  which  the 
electors  of  President  and  Vice-President  are  required  to  desig 
nate  their  candidate  for  each  office  (25  Sep.). 

The  Indians  cede  large  tracts  of  land  east  of  the  Mississippi 
to  the  U.  S. 

The  Middlesex  Canal,  connecting  Boston  with  the  Concord 
River,  the  first  canal  opened  in  the  tl.S.  for  the  transportation  ol 
passengers  and  merchandise,  is  completed. 

Connecticut  and  Delaware  nominate  C.  C.  Pinckney  and 
Rufus  King  for  President  and  Vice-President.  Jefferson  anc 
George  Clinton  receive  162  votes ;  Pinckney  and  King  14. 
Jefferson  is  re-elected  President,  and  Clinton.  Vice-President. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $12.624,646:  the 
debt  is  $86,427,120,  the  imports  are  $85,000,000;  and  the 
exports,  $77,699,074. 

1805.  Tripoli  makes  a  treaty  of  peace  (3  June). 

The  Indians  in  the  west  and  south  cede  to  the  Government 
large  tracts  of  lands. 

The  British  Admiralty  Court  condemns  some  American  ves 
sels  and  their  cargoes,  upon  the  charge  of  a  violation  by  the 
Americans  of  the  laws  of  neutrality  in  transporting  the  produce 
of  the  French  Colonies  as  neutral  property  and  under  the  flag 
of  the  U.  S. 

The  Territory  of  Michigan  is  formed  from  a  part  of  Indiana. 

The  first  commission-house  for  the  sale  of  dry-goods  is  estab 
lished  at  Philadelphia. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $13,727,124; 
the  debt  is  $82,312,150;  the  value  of  imports,  $120,600,000;  and 
of  exports,  $95,566,021. 

1806.  The  first  cargo  of  anthracite  coal  is  shipped  to  Philadelphia,  but 

no  one  is  able  to  use  it,  on  account  of  the  open  stoves  in  use  at 
that  time.  ^ 

England  renews  its  impressment  of  American  seamen. 
Congress,  in  retaliation,  adopts  a  resolution  (15  April)  prohibit 
ing  the  importation"  from  Great  Britain  or  her  colonies,  or  from 
any  other  countries,  of  certain  articles  of  British  manufacture. 

Great  Britain  announces  a  blockade  of  all  European  ports  in 
league  with  France,  and  forbids  vessels  from  entering  them  (16 
June);  France,  in  return,  declares  by  the  Berlin  Decree  (21 
Nov.)  a  blockade  of  all  British  ports.  In  consequence,  Ameri 
can  commerce  suffers  serious  loss. 

Congress  votes  appropriations  for  laying  out  several  roads  ili 
tiie  west  and  south. 


History  of  the   United  States. 

1806  The  national  expenses  tor  the  year  amount  to  $15,070,093; 
the  debt  is  $75,723.270;  the  value  of  imports,  $129,410,000;  and 
of  exports,  $101,536,963.  e 

1807.  Robert  Fulton's  steamboat,  the  Clermont,  makes  its  first  trip  on 

the  Hudson,  from  New  York  to  AibaA/  (Aug.). 

Aaron  Burr  is  tried  for  treason.  He  raised  an  armed  force  in 
Kentucky  and  the  neighboring  country,  and  conducted  it  down 
the  Mississippi,  with  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  government 
of  his  own  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  He  is  arrested  at  Natchez, 
tried  at  Richmond,  and  acquitted  on  the  ground  that  he  had 
not  borne  arms  against  the  U.  S. 

Washington  Irving  begins  his  career  as  an  author  with  a 
"serial"  called  "  Salmagundi." 

Great  Britain,  by  Orders  in  Council,  prohibits  American  ves 
sels  from  entering  any  port  in  Europe  except  in  Sweden ;  France 
replies,  by  the  Milan  Decree,  ordering  the  capture  and  sale  of 
all  American  vessels  which  intend  to  enter  British  ports. 

The  British  frigate  Leopard  stops  the  U.  S.  frigate  Chesapeake 
at  sea,  and  takes  from  her  four  sailors. 

The  Embargo  Act  is  passed  (21  Dec.],  forbidding  the  depar 
ture  of  any  vessel  from  the  U.  S.  for  a  foreign  port. 

By  the  unanimous  vote  of  Congress,  the  importation  of  slaves 
is  forbidden  from  1  Jan.,  1808. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $11,292,292;  the 
debt  is  $69,218,398;  the  imports  are  $138,500,000;  and  the 
exports,  $108,343,151. 

1808.  A  Republican  congressional  caucus  at  Washington  nominates 

James  Madison  for  President  by  83  votes  out  of  94.  James 
Munroe  and  George  Clinton  are  candidates  in  the  caucus,  and 
Clinton  is  nominated  for  Vice-President.  For  President  Madi 
son  receives  122  votes,  Pinckney  47,  and  Clinton  6  ;  for  Vice- 
President,  Clinton  receives  113,  Rufus  King  47,  John  Langdon 
9,  Madison  3,  and  Munroe  3. 

Madison  is  elected  President,  and  Clinton  is  re-elected  Vice- 
President. 

The  first  Temperance  Society  in  the  U.  S.  is  formed  at  Sara 
toga,  N.  Y. 

The  first  settlement  in  Oregon  is  made  by  a  fur  company. 

Memorials  for  the  repeal  of  the  Embargo  Act  are  presented 
to  Congress,  and  the  Act  is  evaded  by  transportation  of  goods 
and  produce  into  Canada. 

A  steamboat,  the  Phoenix,  makes  the  first  sea  trip  of  any 
steam-vessel,  from  Hoboken  to  Philadelphia. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $16,764,584;  the 
debt  is  $65,196,317;  the  imports  are  $56,990,000;  and  the 
exports,  $22,430.960.  5 

1809.  The  Enforcing  Act  is  passed,  providing  heavy   penalties  for 

evasions  of  the  Embargo  Act.  Under  it,  the  exporting  of  any 
goods  upon  any  vessel,  boat  or  vehicle  of  any  kincl  out  of 
the  U.  S.  is  prohibited;  Collectors  are  authorized  to  seize  all 
such  goods  "  aoparently  on  their  way  to  foreign  countries." 
The  people  of  New  England  suffer  great  injury  in  business  in 
consequence;  they  hold  mass  meetings  in  many  towns,  express 


lib  History  of  the   United  States. 

1809.  indignation  at  the  Act,  and  pass  resolutions  declaring  it  uncon 
stitutional. 

The  Embargo  is  removed  (15  March),  except  as  to  Great 
Britain  and  France.  In  June  it  is  removed  as  to  Great  Britain, 
but  is  restored  later  in  the  year,  owing  to  a  failure  of  negotia 
tions. 

The  new  Territory  of  Illinois  is  established  (3  Feb.). 

By  an  Act  of  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  the  children 
of  poor  people  are  authorized  to  attend  school  at  the  public 
expense. 

Cotton  duck  from  which  sails  are  made  is  first  manufactured 
in  the  U.  S. 

Sixty-two  cotton  mills  are  in  operation  in  the  U.  S.  They 
manufacture  bed-tickings,  which  sell  for  55  to  90  cents  a  yard';, 
stripes  and  checks,  from  30  to  40  cents;  ginghams,  from  40  to 
50  cents;  shirtings  ami  sheetings,  from  35  to  75  cents;  and 
counterpanes  at  $  8  each.  A  large  number  of  mills  for  carding 
and  finishing  wool  are  in  operation.  Spinning  and  weaving 
wool  is  still  a  household  occupation.  The  printing  of  calicoes 
had  been  attempted,  but  without  much  success. 

The  national  expenses  of  the  year  are  $13,867,226;  the  debt 
is  $57,023,192;  the  imports  are  $59,400,000;  and  the  exports, 
$52,203,333. 

,810.  Congress  passes  an  Act  (April)  by  which  the  Non-Intercourse 
Act  will  expire  with  the  end  of  the  session,  but  ships-of-war  of 
France  and  Great  Britain  are  excluded  from  its  provisions. 

France  seizes  a  large  number  of  American  vessels,  charging 
them  with  trading  in  British  merchandize  and  sailing  from 
British  ports  under  forged  papers  of  the  U.  S.  To  the  remon 
strance  of  the  U.  S.  against  this  conduct,  France  issues  (May) 
the  so-called  Rambouillet  Decree,  ordering  the  sale  of  132 
American  vessels,  worth  with  their  cargoes  $8,000,000,  and 
extending  a  like  confiscation  to  all  American  vessels  which 
might  hereafter  enter  any  port  in  possession  of  France. 

The  President,  in  consequence  of  negotiations  with  France, 
issues  a  proclamation  (Nov.)  declaring  the  Decrees  of  France 
against  American  commerce  repealed. 

There  are  180  paper-mills  in  the  U.  S. 

The  Pacific  Fur  Company  founds  the  settlement  of  Astoria, 
in  Oregon. 

Commerce  between  Great  Britain  remains  prohibited.  By  the 
British  Orders  in  Council,  American  ships  are  blockaded  from 
most  of  the  ports  of  the  world,  and  the  impressment  of  sailors 
continues. 

The  population  of  the  U.  S.  is  7,239,881. 

The  national  expenses  are  $13,319,986;  the  debt  is  53,178,- 
217;  the  imports  arc  $85,406,000  and  the  exports  $66,657,970. 
1811.  Congress  refuses  to  renew  the  charter  of  the  United  State.,  Bank, 
and  its  effects  are  assigned  to  trustees  for  the  purpose  of  disso 
lution. 

The  President  vetoes  two  bills  passed  by  Congress,  one  to 
incorporate  an  Episcopal  Church  in  the  District  of  Columbia, 
and  the  other  granting  a  piece  of  land  to  a  Baptist  Church  in 
Mississippi.  The  ground  of  the  vetoes  is  that  these  Acts  are 


History  of  the  United  States.  Ill 

1811.  In  conflict  with  that  clause  of  the  Constitution  which  forbids 
Congress  to  make  any  law  respecting  a  religious  establishment. 

The  U.  S.  frigate  President  and  the  British  sloop-of-war  Little 
Belt  meet  off  Cape  Charles,  and  a  serious  battle  ensues.  The 
blame  for  the  engagement  rests  on  both  sides,  and  is  due  to  the 
hostile  feelings  of  the  two  countries  aroused  during  the  last  two 
years  against  each  other. 

The  Indian  tribes  near  Indiana,  under  Tecumseh,  combine 
and  become  hostile.  Harrison,  Governor  of  Indiana,  defeats 
them  in  a  battle  at  Tippecanoe  (7  Nov.). 

The  ratio  of  representation  in  the  House  of  Representatives 
is  fixed,  in  accordance  with  the  new  census,  at  one  for  35,000, 
thus  increasing  the  number  of  members  by  40. 

The  first  steamboat  for  use  in  the  west  is  built  at  Pittsburg; 
it  adds  greatly  to  the  emigration  to  that  section  of  the  country. 
The  first  steam  ferry-boat  plies  between  New  York  and 
Hoboken. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $13,601,808;  the  debt 
is  $48,005,587;  the  imports  are  $53,400,000;  and  the  exports, 
$61,316,883. 

312.  Congress  passes  bills  authorizing  the  increase  of  the  Army,  and 
appropriating  large  sums  of  money  for  preparations  for  war 
with  England. 

Congress  passes  a  bill  for  a  second  Embargo  (4  April),  to  last 
for  90  days ;  it  prohibits  the  sailing  of  any  vessel  for  any 
foreign  port,  except  foreign  vessels.  This  embargo  is  declared 
to  be  preparatory  to  a  war  with  England. 

War  is  declared  against  Great  Britain  (18  June).  The  causes 
of  complaint  against  Great  Britain  are:  her  impressment  of 
seamen,  her  restrictions  upon  commerce,  and  her  instigation  of 
revolt  against  the  U.  S.  by  the  Indians.  The  Federalists, 
especially  in  New  England,  oppose  the  war  in  an  address,  but 
the  majority  of  the  people  of  the  country  are  in  favor  of  war. 

Gen.  Hull  unsuccessfully  attempts  to  invade  Canada,  and  is 
compelled  to  surrender  Detroit  (15  Aug.). 

The  British  Orders  in  Council  of  1807  and  1809  are  revoked 
(23  June),  provided  the  U.S.  shall, after  due  notice,  discontinue 
the  Non-Importation  and  other  hostile  Acts;  upon  the  question 
of  impressment  the  British  refuse  to  yield.  In  consequence  of 
the  failure  to  settle  the  impressment  question,  the  British  issue 
Letters  of  Marque  and  Reprisal  against  American  vessels  (12 
Oct.). 

The  land-forces  of  the  U.  S.  attack  the  British  in  northern 
New  York  and  Canada  with  little  success;  the  naval  forces  gain 
many  victories  over  the  British. 

Madison  is  renominated  by  a  Republican  Congressional  Con 
vention  in  Washington,  and  Eldridge  Gerry  for  Vice-President 
(May).  The  Opposition  Convention  in  New  York  (Sept.) 
nominates  De  Witt  Clinton  for  President  and  Jared  IngersoU 
for  Vice-President.  The  N. Y.  Legislature  also  nominates  Clin 
ton.  Madison  receives  128  votes  and  Clinton  89  ;  Gerry  131 
and  Ingersoll  86.  ^ 

Madison  is  re-elected  President,  and  Elbridge  Gerry  is  elected 
Vice-President. 


118  History  of  the  Ohitecf  Mates. 

1812.  The  Territory  of  Orleans  is  admitted  as  a  State,  and  called 
Louisiana}  the  remaining  portion  of  the  Louisiana  purchase  is 
called  Missouri. 

The  first  manufactory  of  pins  in  the  U.  S.  is  established  at 
New  York.  The  first  rolling-mill  in  Pittsburg  is  established. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $22,279,121;  the  debt 
is  $45,209,737;  the  imports  are  $77,030,000;  and  the  exports, 
$38,527,236. 

1813.  The    war    with  Great  Britain    continues.      British    ships    in 

increased  numbers  blockade  the  entire  coast  of  the  U.  S.;  on 
the  lakes  between  Canada  and  the  U.  S.,  Commodore  Perry 
gains  important  naval  victories;  in  northern  New  York  and 
Canada  the  land-forces  of  the  U.  S.  are  still  generally  unsuc 
cessful. 

To  meet  the  additional  expenses  of  the  Government  incurred 
by  reason  of  the  war,  a  direct  tax  of  $3,000,000  is  levied  on 
lands,  houses,  and  slaves,  according  to  their  assessed  value  ;  a 
tax  is  imposed  on  liquors,  a  duty  of  4  per  cent,  on  refined 
sugar,  and  one  per  cent,  on  sales  at  auction,  and  duties  of  from 
$2  to  $20  are  imposed  on  carriages.  A  new  loan  of  $7,500,000 
is  authorized,  which  is  taken  up  at  88  per  cent. 

The  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  passes  a  Remonstrance  Act, 
denouncing  the  continuence  of  the  war  (15  July). 

The  Creek  Indians,  in  the  south,  make  war  on  the  whites, 
and  are  reduced  to  subjection  by  General  Jackson  (afterwards 
President)  and  other  generals,  in  command  of  the  militia  of 
Tennessee,  Georgia,  and  Mississippi.  Congress  passes  a  bill  pro 
hibiting,  under  heavy  penalties,  the  exporting  by  land  or  water 
of  any  goods,  produce,  specie,  or  live-stock,  even  on  inland 
waters;  no  transportation  is  allowed  except  by  the  President's 
special  permission. 

Stereotyping  and  printing  from  stereotype  plates  are  first 
practiced  in  the  IT.  S. 

Boston  issues  its  first  daily  paper,  the  Daily  Advertiser. 

The  first  ferry-boat  between  Brooklyn  and  New  York  begins 
running. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $39,190,520;  the  debt 
is  $55,962,827;  the  imports  are  $22,005,000;  and  the  exports, 
$27,855,927. 

1814.  The  British  Government  offers  to  treat  for  peace  (6  Jan.),  and 

Commissioners  of  peace  on  the  part  of  the  U.  S.  are  appointed. 

A  new  loan  of  $25,000,000  is  authorized,  to  meet  the  increased 
expenses  of  the  war;  by  the  end  of  the  year  less  than  half  of 
this  loan  is  taken  up;  the  Government  becomes  bankrupt, 
specie  payments  are  stopped,  and  a  financial  panic  ensues. 

The  Creeks  are  again  in  insurrection,  and  General  Jackson 
again  subjugates  them. 

Naval  warfare  during  this  year  continues,  but  with  varying 
fortune  to  the  Americans.  The  British  land  at  Wareham,  Mass., 
p,nd  burn  vessels  and  a  factory  (14  June).  Gen.  Jacob  Brown 
invades  Canada,  and  with  the  assistance  of  Gen.  Winfield 
Scott,  defeats  the  British  under  Riall  at  Chippewa  (5  July)  and 
Niagara  Falls  (25  July)-  The  British  bombard  Stonington, 
Conn.  (10  Aug.).  The  British  fleet  (18  Aug^  enters  the  Che** 


Jgistory  #f  the  ifmtect  States.  119 

t814.    peake,  and  Gen.  Ross  lands  a  force  of  4000  men,  and  march* 
against  Washington.     At  the  battle  of  Bladensburg  (24  Aug; 
the  British  troops  easily  overcome  the  slight  resistance  offered 
capture  the  city  (25  Aug.),  burn  the  interior  of  the  two  wings 
of  the  Capitol,  and  destroy  the  library    of   Congress ;   the 
President's  house  a  ad  the  offices  of  the  Treasury,  State,  and 
War  Departments  ar%  «et  on  fire.    Ross  is  repulsed  in  an  attack 
on  Baltimore,  and  is  siain  (13  Sep.).     A  British  land-force  and 
fleet  from  Canada  are  defeated,  both  on  land  and  on  water,  at 
Lake  Champlain  (15  Sep.). 

New  England  continues  to  remonstrate  against  the  war  and 
the  inefficient  defence  made  by  the  National  Government.  In 
obedience  to  a  Circular  iiujued  by  the  Mass.  Legislature,  a  Con 
vention  of  26  delegates  «rom  the  New  England  States  meets 
at  Hartford  (15  Dec.),  foi  the  purpose  of  devising  means  for 
the  defence  of  New  England,  without  the  assistance  of  the 
National  Government. 

In  consequence  of  the  abdication  of  Napoleon,  peace  if 
restored  in  Europe  (11  April) ;  and  the  Peace  Commissioners  of 
the  U.  S.,  at  Ghent,  Belgium,  sign  a  treaty  of  peace  with  Great 
Britain  (24  Dec.). 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $38,028,230;  the  debt 
is  |'1,487,846;  the  imports  are  $12,965,000;  and  the  exports, 
$6,$  '7,441. 

315.  The  principal  battle  of  the  war  with  Great  Britain  is  fought  at 
New  Orleans  (8  Jan.),  and  the  British  are  defeated  by  Gen. 
Jackson. 

The  Dey  of  Algiers  declares  war  against  the  U.  S.  because 
of  his  dissatisfaction  with  the  payment  of  certain  tribute 
demanded  by  him  (March).  Commodore  Decatur,  by  capturing 
an  Algerine  man-of-war  at  sea,  brings  the  Dey  to  terms,  and 
ends  the  war  (30  June). 

Treaties  of  peace  with  the  Indians  in  the  north-west  are 
aegotiated. 

Strong  religious  influences  prevail  among  the  people.  The 
Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Presbyterian  sects  are  largely  increased, 
H,nd  exert  an  important  control  over  public  opinion.  New 
England  Puritanism  becomes  agressive,  and  with  much  zeal 
attacks  the  "  Latitudinarians  "  or  "  Liberals."  Religion  affects 
^ven  politics;  the  Liberals  are  generally  Democrats,  while  the 
Congregationalists  are  Federalists. 

Dallas,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  proposes  a  protective 
tariff. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $39,582,493;  the  debt 
ts  $99,833,660;  the  imports  are  $113,041,274;  and  the  exports, 
352,557,753. 

1816.  A  Bill  establishing  a  protective  tariff  is  passed,  and  taxes  are 
reduced. 

A  National  Bank  is  established,  modelled  after  Hamilton's, 
and  to  expire  after  20  years.  The  capital  is  to  be  $35,000,000, 
one-fifth  to  be  paid  in  cash,  tho  remainder  in  6  per  cent.  U.  S. 
stock.  The  Government  is  to  appoint  5  of  the  25  directors. 

The  salary  of  a  Member  of  Congress  IF  raised  from  $6  a  iia* 
t»  $1500  a  year. 


120  History  of  the  United  tftate*, 

3F18.        The  Indians  cede  to  the  (J.  S.  large  tracts  of  land  in  southern 

Tennessee  and  Alabama. 

Congress  resolves  to  cease  receiving  irredeemable  paper- 
money  after  17  Feb.,  1817. 

Congress  passes  the  Navigation  Act  (1  March),  which  limits 
importations  by  foroign  ships  to  the  produce  of  their  respective 
countries,  confines  the  coasting-trade  to  American  vessels,  and 
requires  all  coasting  and  fishing  vessels  to  have  crews  composed 
of  at  least  three-fourths  American  sailors. 

A  Republican  congressional  caucus  nominates  James  Monroe 
for  President  by  65  to  54  for  W.  H.  Crawford,  and  D.  D. 
Tompkins  for  Viee-President.  The  opposition  nominate  Rufus 
King  and  J.  E.  Howard.  Monroe  receives  184  votes  and  Kino- 
34  j  Tompkins  183  and  Howard  22,  with  12  votes  divided 
between  James  Ross,  John  Marshall,  and  R.  G.  Harper.  Munroe 
is  elected  President,  and  Tompkins  Vice-President. 

An  Act  is  passed  providing  for  the  payment  of  the  National 
Debt  in  annual  installments  of  $10,000,000. 

The  lighting  of  streets  by  gas  is  first  introduced  in  the  U.  S., 
in  Baltimore,  Md. 

The  first  savings-banks  in  the  U.  S.  are  established  at  Phila 
delphia  and  Boston. 

A  steamboat  ascends  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  to  Louisville, 

Ky. 

Indian  a  is  admitted  as  a  State  (11  Dec.). 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $48,244,495;  the  debt 
is  $127,334,938:  the  imports  are  $147,103,000:  and  the  exports, 
$81,920,452. 

1817.  The  President  makes  a  tour  through  the  Eastern  and  some  oi 

the  Western  States,  and  is  received  everywhere  with  great 
enthusiasm  by  the  people  without  respect  of  party.  This  unani 
mous  exhibition  of  the  good-will  of  the  people  shows  the  growth 
of  the  national  sentiment  in  the  country. 

The  Seminole  and  Creek  Indians  are  troublesome  in  southern 
Georgia,  and  Gen.  Jackson  again  takes  the  field  against  them. 

Congress  repeals  all  internal  taxes,  and  raises  the  duty  on 
many  imported  articles. 

Philadelphia  has  a  population  of  112,000  inhabitants  :  New 
York,  115,000;  Baltimore,  55,000;  Boston,  40,000;  Cincinnati, 
7000;  and  St.  Louis,  3500. 

Mississippi  is  admitted  as  a  State  (10  Dot.). 

The  construction  of  the  Erie  Canal  is  begun. 

The  first  line  of  sailing-ships  between  New  York  and  Liver 
pool  is  established. 

The  first,  institution  in  the  U.S.  for  the  instruction  of  the  deaf 
and  dumb  is  established  at  Hartford,  Conn. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $40,877,640;  the  debt 
Is  $123,491  ,965;  the  imports  are  $99,250.000;  and  the  exports, 
$87,671,560. 

1818.  Congress  grants  life  pensions  of  $20  a  month  to  officers,  and  $8 

a  month  to  privates  of  the  Continental  Army. 


•and 


Congress  passes  an  Act  (4  April)  fixing  the  number  of  star 
d  stripes  in  the  national  flag  —  13  stripes,  symbolical  of  tb 


History  of  the  United  States.  121 

1818.  original  number  of  States,  and  as  many  stars  as  there  may  be 

States  in  the  future. 

Illinois  is  admitted  as  a  State  (3  Dec.). 

Gen.  Jackson  enters  Spanish  Florida  to  continue  the  fight 
against  the  Seminoles.  He  overcomes  the  Indians,  and  puts  to 
death  Arbuthnot  and  Ambrister,  two  British  subjects,  who  had 
incited  the  Indians  to  war.  He  seizes  Pensacola,  a  Spanish 
possession,  but  the  Government  later  gives  it  up  to  Spain. 

The  Indians  cede  additional  tracts  of  land  in  Illinois  and 
Indiana  to  the  U.  S. 

The  western  State  Banks,  in  consequence  of  an  over-issue 
of  notes,  suspend  payment. 

The  first  steamboat  on  Lake  Erie  begins  running. 

The  first  Methodist  newspaper  in  the  U.  S.  is'  started  in 
Boston. 

The  Baltimore  Quaker  yearly  meeting  petitions  Congress  to 
make  further  provision  for  the  protection  of  free  colored  persons. 
Congress  passes  a  Bill  for  the  suppression  of  the  foreign  slave- 
trade,  by  which  the  burden  of  proof  is  thrown  upon  those  in 
possession  of  negroes  found  upon  ships. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $35,164,875;  the  debt 
is  $103,466,633;  the  imports  are  $121,750,000;  and  the  exports, 
$93,281,133. 

1819.  Spain  agrees  to  cede  Florida  to  the  U.  S.  in  extinction  of  all 

American  claims,  the  U.  S.  paying  Spain  $5,000,000. 

Congress  passes  an  Act  allowing  a  premium  of  $50  to  the 
informer  in  every  case  of  illegal  importation  of  an  African  into 
the  U.  S.  An  attempt  is  made  in  Congress  to  punish  slave- 
trading  with  death,  but  it  fails  in  the  Senate. 

The  first  trip  across  the  Atlantic  by  a  steamer  is  made  by  the 
Savannah  (June-July);  the  latter  part  of  the  voyage  is  made  by 
sail  alone. 

Emigration  from  Europe  to  the  U.  S.  increases  rapidly  this 
year. 

The  country  suffers  from  a  financial  crisis;  prices  fall;  manu 
facturers  be^in  to  demand  a  higher  tariff. 

Maine  petitions  to  be  admitted  as  a  State. 

A  Bill  to  authorize  the  Territory  of  Missouri  to  frame  a  State 
Constitution  is  proposed  in  Congress,  and  the  question  of  pro 
hibiting  further  slavery  in  the  proposed  new  State  is  discussed, 
and  amendments  to  secure  that  result  are  defeated. 

In  consequence  of  the  feeling  aroused  by  the  debate  on  the 
admission  of  Missouri,  the  American  Convention  for  the  Aboli 
tion  of  Slavery  revives,  and  meets  at  Philadelphia  (Oct.).  Public 
meetings  for  the  same  purpose  are  heid  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  New 
York,  Boston,  and  in  the  other  large  cities  in  the  North. 

The  American  Fanner,  the  first  agricultural  newspaper  in 
the  U.  S. ,  is  published  at  Baltimore  (2  April). 

The  Odd  Fellows  Society  is  first  organized  in  the  U.  S.,  at 
Baltimore  (26  April). 

Patent-leather  is  first  manufactured  in  the  U.  S.,  at  Newark 
New  Jersey,  by  Seth  Boyden. 

An  epidemic  of  yellow  fever  prevails  in  the  larger  southern 
cities.  The  town  of  Indianapolis  is  first  settled. 


122  History  of  the   United  States. 

1819.  The  Watchman  and  Reflector,  the  first  Baptist  newspaper  in 
the  U.  S.,  is  issued  (May). 

Alabama  is  admitted  as  a  State  (14  Dec.). 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $24,004,199;  the  debt 
is  $95,529,648;  the  imports  are  $87,125,000;  and  the  exports, 
$70,141,501. 

1820.  Congress  appoints  a  committee  to  inquire  into  the  expediency  <  i' 

prohibiting  slavery  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

Congress  passes  the  bill  known  as  "  the  Missouri  Compro 
mise"^  March);  by  it,  both  Maine  and  Missouri  are  to  be 
admitted  as  States  (Missouri  as  a  slave-state),  with  a  provision 
thenceforward  excluding  slavery  north  of  the  line  of  36°  i>0', 
the  southern  boundary  of  Missouri. 

Maine  ig  admitted  as  a  State  (15  March). 

To  meet  a  deficiency  in  the  National  Treasury,  a  loan  of 
$8,000,000  is  authorized  by  Congress. 

Congress  passes  a  Tenure  of  Office  Act,  by  which  the  term  of 
office  of  the  inferior  executive  officers  is  limited  to  four  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  a  re-appointment  is  necessary. 

A  treaty  is  signed  between  the  U.  S.  and  Spain  (24  Oct.),  by 
which  Spain  cedes  Florida  to  the  U.  S. 

Monroe  is  re-elected  President,  and Tompkins  Vice-President, 
with  slight  opposition,  J.  Q.  Adams  receiving  only  one  vote  for 
President,  and  K.  Stockton  8  (Mass.)  for  Vice-President;  Daniel 
Rodney  4,  K.  G.  Harper  1,  and  R.  Rush  1. 

The  first  steamboat  011  Lake  Michigan  begins  running. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $21,763.024;  the  debt 
is  $91,015,566;  the  imports  are  ;  74,450,000;  and  the  exports, 
$69,661,669. 

.  Several  bills  for  the  admission  of  Missouri  as  a  State,  with  and 
without  slavery,  having  been  rejected,  the  House,  on  motion  of 
Henry  Clay,  20  Feb.,  appoints  a  committee  to  meet  a  committee 
on  the  part  of  the  Senate  to  devise  a  plan  for  its  admission;  Mr. 
Clay,  as  chairman,  reports  a  resolution  (26)  defining  the  con 
ditions  on  which  the  Territory  maybe  admitted  and  embracing 
the  Senate's  compromise  amendment;  this  resolution  is  adopted 
in  the  House  the  same  day  and  in  the  Senate  tAvo  days  later, 
and  under  its  provisions  Missouri  is  admitted  into  the  Union, 
10  Aug. 

James  Monroe,  President,  and  D.  D.  Tompkins,  Vice-Presi- 
dent,  are  sworn  into  office  for  a  second  term,  4  March. 

Matthew  Carey  is  presented  with  a  piece  of  plate  worth  $200 
by  the  citizens  of  Wilmington,  Del.  (April),  in  approbation  of 
his  writings  on  political  economy  and  national  industry. 

Spain  ratifies  the  treaty  with  the  U.  S.  for  the  cession  of  fix1 
Florida  country,  and  Gen.  Jackson,  the  newly  appointed  Gov 
ernor,  takes  formal  possession,  1  July. 

English  officers  take  up  the  remains  of  Major  Andre,  at  Tap- 
pan,  N.Y.  (Aug.),  and  convey  them  to  !><^idon,  where  they  are 
buried  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

Miss  Sophia  Woodhouse,  of  Weathersfield,  Conn.,  sends  to 
the  London  Society  of  Arts  samples  of  a  new  material  for  straw- 
plaiting  in  its  raw,  bleached,  and  manufactured  state,  includ 
ing  a  bonnet  in  imitation  of  Leghorn,  the  substance  being 


History  of  the   United  States.  12? 

7821.  locally  known  as  tieklemoth  gr,i«s;  the  bonnet  is  pronounced 
superior  to  the  best  Leghorn,  and  the  Society  votes  her  its  large 
silver  medal  and  20  guineas  for  her  discovery;  a  IT.  S.  patent  is 
granted  her  for  manufacturing  hats  and  bonnets  of  "grass," 
25  Dec. 

Gen.  Stephen  F.  Austin  plants  the  first  colony  from  the  U.  S. 
in  Texas,  in  the  bottoms  of  the  Brazos  de  Dios. 

Amherst  (Mass.)  College;  Columbian  College,  Washington, 
D.  C.;  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Vermont. 
Burlington;  and  the  National  Medical  College,  Washington,  D. 
C.,  are  founded. 

A  quarantine  station,  with  a  number  of  hospital  buildings,  is 
established  at  Castleton,  Staten  Island,  N.  Y. 

Under  the  auspices  of  the  American  Colonization  Society,  a 
large  tract  of  land  is  secured  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa  and 
named  Liberia,  to  which  it  is  proposed  to  send  such  free  negroes 
of  the  U.  S.  as  are  willing  to  emigrate. 

Among  the  patents  issued  this  year  are  one  to  George  J.  New- 
bury,  N.  Y.,  foi  printing  with  metallic  and  colored  powder 
(bronzing);  and  to  Minus  Ward,  Columbia,  S.  C.,  for  an  im 
provement  in  steam-engines,  consisting  of  an  alternating  or 
rotary  engine  which  enables  the  piston-rod  to  describe  a  rotary 
motion  upon  its  extreme  end  when  turning  a  wheel. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $19,090,572;  the 
debt  is  $89,987,427;  the  imports  are  $62,585,724;  and  the  exports, 
$64,974,382. 

1822.  The  Merrimac  Manufacturing  Company,  which  founds  the  city 
of  Lowell,  Mass.,  is  incorporated,  5  Feb.,  and  starts  its  first 
wheel,  23  Sep. 

By  an  Act  of  Congress,  30  March,  Florida  is  erected  into  a 
Territory. 

Gen.  Stark,  of  the  Revolutionary  army,  dies,  8  May.  • 

The  U.  S.  sign  a  treaty  with  France  (commerce  and  naviga 
tion),  24  June. 

Owing  to  the  large  number  of  piratical  craft  that  are  swarming 
about  the  West  Indies  and  preying  upon  our  commerce  there, 
a  naval  force  is  sent  out  which  captures  and  destroys  upwards  of 
twenty  vessels  on  the  coast  of  Cuba. 

John  Colt  begins  the  manufacture  of  cotton  sail  duck  at  Pat- 
erson,  N.  J. 

Messrs.  David  H.  Mason  and  Matthew  W.  Baldwin,  of  Phila 
delphia,  begin  the  first  engraving  of  cylinders  for  calico  print 
ing  in  the  U.  S. 

The  cotton  crop  amounts  to  210,000,000  pounds,  30,000,000 
more  than  last  year's;  the  exports  of  the  staple  aggregate  144,- 
700,000  pounds. 

The  first  extensive  and  successful  use  of  iron  conduit-pipes 
in  the  U.  S.,  is  made  in  the  service  of  the  Fail-mount  Water 
works,  erecting  in  Philadelphia;  they  are  cast  in  that  city  in 
sections  of  9  feet  in  leniith  and  from  2  to  23  inches  in  diameter. 
%  Tubes  or  pipes  of  india-rubber  for  ga*"ous  lluids  are  made 
and  used  by  Thomas  Skidmore,  of  New  York. 

Steam-power  is  first  introduced  iii  the  sugar  manufacture  of 
Louisiana. 


124  History  of  the  United  States. 

1822.  Cotton  culture  is  first  begun  in  Texas  by  Col.  Jared  E.  Groce, 
in  the  bottoms  of  tine  Brazos  de  Dios. 

The  U.  S.  Government  recognizes  the  independence  of  the 
Republic  of  Mexico  and  of  the  provinces  in  South  America  for 
merly  under  the  dominion  of  Spain. 

The  Theological  Department  of  Yale  College  (Cong.),  and 
the  Episcopal  Theological  School  of  Virginia,  Fairfax  County, 
are  founded. 

Among  the  patents  issued  this  year  are  one  to  C.  M.  Graham, 
N.  Y.  (the  first)  for  artificial  teeth;  William  Hall  and  Joseph 
Hastings,  Mass.,  a  process  for  making  isinglass,  said  to  be 
superior  to  any  imported;  George  Murray  and  James  Puglia, 
Phila.,  a  process  for  making  bank-notes  that  cannot  be  con- 
terf cited;  Reuben  Hyde,  Mass.,  a  machine  for  making  pales  for 
fences;  A.  C.  Baker  and  M.  F.  Biddle,  N.  Y.,  a  mode  of  trans 
ferring  impressions  from  paper  to  wood;  Capt.  John  Rodgers, 
president  of  the  U.  S.  Naval  Board,  a  marine  railway,  which 
receives  the  President's  indorsement  in  a  special  message  to 
Congress  by  which  $50,000  are  appropriated  to  put  the  system 
into  operation  at  the  Washington  Navy- Yard;  Peter  Force, 
Washington,  D.  C.,  printing  paper-hangings;  and  to  Christo 
pher  Cornelius,  Phila.,  for  light-house  lamps  to  burn  lard  on 
the  solar  principle. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $17,076,592;  the  debt 
is  $98,546,676;  the  imports  are  $83,241,541;  and  the  exports, 
$72,160,281. 

1823.  A  second  and  larger  naval  force,  under  Commodore  Porter,  is 

sent  against  the  West  Indian  pirates,  and  their  operations  are 
effectually  checked. 

The  revenue  laws  are  amended  by  an  Act  approved  1  March, 
'declaring  that  no  goods  imported  subject  to  ad  valorem  duties 
shall  be  admitted  to  entry  unless  the  true  invoice  is  produced, 
excepting  goods  from  a  wreck;  by  another  Act,  approved  the 
same  day,  U.  S.  ports  are  opened  to  British  vessels  from  colonial 
ports  in  America;  an  Act  of  15  May,  1820,  imposing  a  tonnage 
duty  on  French  ships,  is  repealed,  3  Mnrch,  and  a  discrimina 
ting  duty  of  $2.75  per  ton  on  French  goods  imported  in  French 
vessels  is  laid,  to  be  diminished  one-fourth  annually  for  two 
years. 

The  first  Railway  Act  in  America  is  passed,  31  March,  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  incorporating  a  company 
for  the  construction  of  a  railroad  from  Philadelphia  to  Colum 
bia,  Lancaster  County. 

New  Hampshire  contains  28  cotton  and  18  woolen  factories; 
22  distilleries;  20  iron  mills;  193  bark  mills;  304  tanneries;  12 
paper  mills;  and  55  trip-hammers. 

Thomas  Evvbank,  of  N,  Y.,  obtains  a  patent  for  manufactur 
ing  and  plating  lead  pipes  with  tin  for  stills,  and  oneformanu- 
fecturing  tinned  sheet-lead;  this  is  the  first  application  in  the 
U.  S.  of  tin  as  a  lining  or  coating  to  metallic  tubes  and  pl&tes. 

Nicholas  Long-worth,  ol  Cincinnati,  O.,  begins  the  manufac 
ture  of  wine,  with  the  muscatel  or  vevay  grape,  and  produces 
a  wine  resembling  Madeira. 


History  of  theUnited  States. 

1K33.  The  first  lease  of  lauds  in  the  lead  region  of  the  Upper  Mis 
sissippi,  authorized  by  Act  of  3  March,  1807,  is  made  by  the 
Government  to  Col.  James  Johnson,  of  Ky.,  who  proceeds  to 
erects  smelting- works  and  invite  immigration. 

Benthuysen,  a  printer,  of  Albany,  N.  Y.,  sets  up  and  starts 
the  first  steam-power  printing-press  in  the  country. 

The  Champlain  Canal,  connecting  the  Hudson  River  at 
Albany  with  Lake  Champlain,  the  first  portion  of  the  great 
system  of  internal  navigation  between  New  York  and  the  basins 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Great  Lakes,  is  completed. 

Trinity  College,  Hartford,  Conn;  the  Kentucky  Blind  Asylum, 
at  Danville;  and  the  Berkshire  Medical  School,  Pittsfield,  Mass., 
are  founded. 

The  first  Session  of  the  18th  Congress  is  opened,  1  Dec., 
Henry  Clay,  re-elected  a  Member  of  the  House,  is  chosen 
Speaker  by  a  vote  of  139  to  42  for  Mr.  Barbour,  Speaker  of  the 
preceding  Congress;  in  his  Message,  the  President  renews  his 
recommendation  for  a  speedy  review  of  the  tariff,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  affording  additional  protection  to  manufactures. 

Gen.  Simon  Bolivar,  a  leader  in  the  South  American  Revolu 
tion,  invites  Mexico,  Peru,  Chili,  and  Buenos  Ayres  to  send 
delegates  to  a  conference  at  Panama  for  the  purpose  of  form 
ing  a  confederacy  for  a  more  determined  resistance  to  SpMM 
and  the  greater  security  of  their  own  independence;  the  Minis 
ters  of  Mexico,  Colombia,  and  Central  America  have  frequent 
conferences  on  the  subject  with  our  Secretary  of  State,  and  a 
formal  invitation  is  given  (Nov.)  to  the  U.  S.  to  participate  in 
the  proposed  Congress.  In  the  meantime,  the  British  Cabinet, 
through  Mr.  Canning,  carries  on  a  lengthy  correspondence  with 
our  State  Department  on  the  expediency  of  a  demonstration 
against  an  apprehended  design  of  the  Holy  Alliance  with  respect 
to  this  continent ;  these  events,  prompt  the  President,  in  his 
Message,  2  Dec.,  to  assert  that  this  Government  will  consider 
any  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  allied  powers  to  extend  their 
system  to  any  portion  of  this  hemisphere  as  dangerous  to  our 
peace  and  safety. 

Smith  Thompson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  is  succeeded  by 
Samuel  L.  Southard,  of  N.  J.,"  9  Dec. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $15,314,171;  the  debt 
is  $90,875,877;  the  imports  are  $77,579,267;  and  the  exports. 
$74,699,030. 

1824.  A  charter  is  granted  by  the  State  of  Virginia  to  the  Chesapeake 
anc?  Ohio  Canal  Company,  27  Jan.,  for  the  construction  of  a 
canal  from  tide-water  above  Georgetown  on  the  Potomac  to 
Pittsburg,  a  distance  of  341  miles. 

A  caucus  is  held  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  to  secure  the  nomina 
tion  of  Mr.  Crawford,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  for  the  Presi 
dency,  14  Feb.;  only  68  of  the  258  <;  Republican"  members 
attend;  a  motion  is  made  to  adjourn  to  20  March,  but  it  is 
opposed,  and  the  meeting  proceeds  to  ballot  for  a  candidate;  of 
the  68  votes  given,  Mr.  Crawford  receives  64;  John  Quiney 
Adams,  2;  Andrew  Jackson,  1;  and  Nathaniel  Mason,  ?.;  for 
Viae-President,  Albert  Gallatin  receives  57  votes. 


f26  History  of  the  United  States. 

1824.  A  Convention  between  the  U.  S.  and  Great  Britain  is  signed, 
13  March,  for  the  suppression  of  the  slave-trade;  it  provides  that 
each  Government  shall  send  vessels  to  cruise  in  the  waters  of 
Africa,  America,  and  the  West  Indies,  with  power  to  board 
other  vessels  of  either  nation  suspected  of  being  slavers. 

The  Franklin  Institute  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  is  incor 
porated,  20  March,  for  the  promotion  and  encouragement  of 
manufactures  and  the  mechanic  and  useful  arts. 

A  treaty  between  the  U.  S.  and  Russia  is  signed,  5  April,  by/ 
which  the  boundary  line  between  the  U.  S.  and  the  Kussian 
possessions  on  the  Pacific  Coast  is  established  at  45  degrees  40 
minutes  north  latitude. 

A  V>\\\  proposing  to  increase  the  duties  on  imports,  after  a 
discussion  of  over  two  months,  made  memorable  by  the  great 
speeches  of  Henry  Clay  and  Daniel  Webster,  is  passed  in  the 
House  16  April;  amendments  are  made  in  the  Senate  to  which 
the  House  fails  to  agree,  but  the  differences  are  settled  by  a  con 
ference  committee,  and  the  Senate  passes  the  bill. 

In  accordance  with  a  decree  of  the  Mexican  Government,  the 
provinces  of  Texas  and  Coahuila  are  united  as  one  State,  Aug. 

Gen.  Lafayette  lands  on  Staten  Island,  N.  Y.,  15  Aug.,  being 
received  by  the  Vice-President  of  the  U.  S.;  he  is  escorted  up 
to  the  city '(16)  by  a  large  naval  procession,  und  disembarks  at 
Castle  Garden  amid  the  ringing  of  bells,  the  salutes  of  artillery, 
and  the  cheers  of  a  tremendous  multitude;  at  the  City  Hall  he 
is  officially  welcomed,  and  there,  during  his  stay,  he  holds  daily 
levees;  at  his  departure  he  is  escorted  by  a  large  body  of  troops 
to  Kingsbridge,  whence  he  starts  on  a  tour  of  the  U.S.,  to  receive 
ovations  of  friendship  and  gratitude  at  every  step. 

In  the  Presidential  election  the  suffrages  oi  the  people  are 
divided  between  four  candidates  for  the  Presidency,  viz:  John 
Quincy  Adams,  105,321;  Andrew  Jackson,  152,899;  W.  H. 
Crawford,  47,265;  and  Henry  Clay,  47,087,  equal  to  84  electoral 
votes  for  Adams,  98  for  Jackson,  41  for  Crawford,  and  37  for 
Clay;  John  C.  Calhoun  receives  for  Vice-President  182  electoral 
votes,  against  78  for  all  others;  the  electors  having  failed  to 
elect  a  President,  that  duty  will  devolve  upon  the  House  of 
Representatives. 

The  Legislature  of  New  Jersey  grants  Acts  of  incorporation 
of  companies,  31  Dec.,  authorized  to  construct  the  Delaware 
and  Raritan  Canal  and  the  Morris  Canal,  the  latter  to  run  from 
the  Delaware  River  at  Phillipsburg,  opposite  Easton,  Penn.,  to 
the  Passaic  River,  at  Newark. 

An  institute  is  established  and  endowed  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  by 
lion.  Stephen  Van  Re'nsgelaer,  for  the  instruction  of  young  men 
in  ilio  application  of  mathematical  science  to  civil  engineering, 
aii«l  in  natural  science. 

A  -ivological  survey  of  the  State  of  North  Carolina  by  Prof. 
01  lasted  attracts  public  attention  to  the  gold-bearing  region  of 
the  State,  which  he  estimates  embraces  over  1000  acres. 

Zadoc  Pratt  purchases  laud  and  water-power  in  Greene 
County,  N.  Y.,  erects  a  mammoth  structure  for  manufacturing 
hemlock-tanned  leather,  and  founds  the  v'Uage  of  Prattsville, 


History  of  the  United  States.  127 

1834.  Thf  manufacture  of  isinglass  from  the  swords  of  the  hake 
fish,  f  i  the  use  of  cotton  manufactures,  is  begun  on  Cape  Cod, 
Mass. 

The  first  institution  in  this  country  intended  for  the  reforma 
tion  of  vicious  and  criminal  children  is  incorporated  under  the 
name  of  the  New  York  House  of  Refuge  for  Juvenile  Delin 
quents,  the  founders  being  John  Griscom,  Isaac  Collins,  James 
W.  Gerard,  and  Hugh  Maxwell. 

The  Jefferson  Medical  College,  at  Philadelphia,  is  founded. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $31,898,538;  the  debt 
is  $9;V2(>9,777;  the  imports  are  $89,549,007;  and  the  exports, 
$75,980,657. 

1823.  The  House  of  Representatives  hold  an  election  for  President  of 
the  U.  S.,  9  Feb.;  Mr.  Adams  receives  the  votes  of  13  States, 
Gen.  Jackson  of  7,  and  Mr.  Crawford  of  4,  whereupon  Mr. 
Adams  is  declared  elected. 

Congress  votes  to  establish  a  navy-yard  on  the  coast  of 
Florida,  3  March. 

Messrs.  Adams  and  Calhoim  are  sworn  into  office  as  Presi 
dent  and  Vice-President,  4  March;  the  President  makes  the  fol 
lowing  choice  for  cabinet  officers :  Henry  Clay, Secretary  of  State; 
Richard  Rush,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury;  James  Barbour,  Secre 
tary  of  War;  Samuel  L.  Southard  (continued  in  office),  Secretary 
of  the  Navy;  and  William  Wirt  (continued  in  office),  Attorney- 
General. 

The  Secretary  of  State  sends  to  Mr.  Poinsett,  the  first  American 
Minister  to  Mexico,  26  March,  instructions  implying  that  the 
Government  contemplates  extending  its  jurisdiction  to  the  banks 
of  the  Rio  Grande. 

The  American  Unitarian  Association  is  organized  at  Boston, 
25  May. 

Ex-Vice-President  Daniel  D.  Tompkins  dies  at  Staten  Island, 
N.  Y.,  11  June. 

Gen.  Lafayette  lays  the  corner-stone  of  the  Bunker  Hill 
Monument,  and  Daniel  Webster  delivers  the  oration,  17  June* 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $^3,585,804;  the  debt 
?3  $83,788,432;  the  imports  are  196,840,075;  and  the  exports, 
$99,535,388. 

A  treaty  Detween  the  U.  S.  and  the  Indians  of  the  north 
-west  Territory,  is  signed,  Aug. 

An  appropriation  of  $200,000  and  a  grant  of  24,000  acres  of 
land  are  made  by  Congress  to  Gen.  Lafayette;  he  sails  from 
New  York  for  home  on  the  U.  S.  frigate  Brandywine,  named 
after  his  first  American  battle-field,  8  Sep. 

Isaiah  Lukins,  of  Philadelphia,  receives  a  patent  in  England 
on  his  invention  of  a  surgical  instrument  for  destroyino-  stone 
in  the  bladder  without  cutting,  called  lithoutripter ,  15  Sep. 

Goa.  Jackson  is  nominated  for  President  by  the  Legislature 
of  Tennessee,  6  Oct. 

The  Erie  Canal  is  formally  opened,  26  Oct.,  when  t£e  first 
flotilla  of  canal-boats  leaves  Buffalo;  it  reaches  New  York  4 
Nov. ;  a  mnd  navaJ  procession  of  nearly  all  the  vessels  in  port 
*  formed  and  proceeds  to  Sandy  iioott,  vrnere  De'vVm  Clinton 


128  History  of  the  United  States. 

1825.  pours  a  keg  of  water  from  Lake  Erie  into  the  ocean;  the  event 
is  also  celebrated  in  New  York  by  a  civic  procession  nearly  five 
miles  long,  a  magnificent  display  of  fireworks,  and  a  general 
illumination. 

Commodore  McDonough,  the  hero  of  Lake  Champlain,  dies, 
10  Nov. 

The  first  performance  of  Italian  opera  in  the  U.  S.  is  given  at 
New  York,  29  Nov. 

President  Adams  sends  a  confidential  message  to  Congress, 
26  Dec.,  in  which  he  announces  that  he  has  accepted  the  invi 
tation  to  send  Commissioners  to  the  proposed  Panama  Confer 
ence,  believing  that  it  might  be  advisable  to  settle  the  question 
whether  the  security  of  republican  institutions  does  not  require 
the  parties  to  prevent  any  European  power  from  establishing  a 
colony  within  the  borders  of  the  parties;  he  also  nominates 
Richard  C.  Anderson,  of  Ky.,  and  John  Sergeant,  of  Penn.,  as 
Commissioners,  and  W.  B.  Rochester,  of  N.  Y.,  as  Secretary 
of  the  Commissioners. 

The  difficulty  between  the  Government,  the  Creek  Indians, 
and  the  State  authorities  of  Georgia  is  settled  by  a  treaty 
between  the  two  first,  by  which  the  Indians  agree  to  exchange 
the  land  they  claim  in  Georgia  for  an  equal  quantity  beyond 
the  Mississippi,  and  to  remove  thither. 

The  German  Reformed  Theological  School,  at  Mercersburg, 
Penn.,  the  Gettysburg  (Penn.)  Theological  Seminary  (Lutheran), 
and  the  Law  School  of  the  university  of  Virginia,  at  Charlottes- 
ville,  are  founded. 

Ex-Presidents  John  Adams  (Quincy,  Mass.,  aged  90)  and 
Thomas  Jefferson  (Monticello,  Va.,  aged  82)  die  at  nearly  the 
same  hour,  4  July. 

1826.  Eli  Whitney,  inventor  of  the  cotton  gin,  and  one  of  tne  most 

eminent  mechanics  of  his  age,  dies  8  Jan.,  aged  59. 

The  Senate  Committee  to  whom  the  President's  Panama  mes 
sage  was  referred,  report  adversely  to  the  proposed  mission,  16 
Jan.;  after  a  lengthy  debate,  the  Committee's  resolution  of 
inexpediency  is  lost,  14  March,  and  the  nominations  are  con 
firmed;  a  bill  providing  for  the  expenses  of  the  mission  is 
passed,  22  April.  The  conference  assembles  at  Panama,  22  June, 
and  closes  its  session  15  July,  with  a  treaty  of  league  and  friend 
ship;  the  delay  caused  by  the  discussions  in  Congress  prevents 
the  u.  S.  being  represented  in  the  conference. 

It  is  claimed  that  the  treaty  with  the  Creek  Indians  last  year 
was  procured  by  illegal  means;  the  conflict  between  the  Federal 
and  State  Governments  is  reopened;  and  the  relations  between 
Gov.  Troup  and  Gen.  Gaines  grow  warlike;  a  new  treaty  3s 
obtained,  24  Jan.,  satisfactory  to  the  Indians,  by  which  they 
relinquish  nearly  all  their  land  in  Georgia;  Gov.  Troup  main 
tains  an  agitation  throughout  the  year. 

The  New  England  Society  for  the  promotion  of  manufactures 
and  the  mechanic  arts,  organized  by  citizens  of  Boston,  is 
chartered,  3  March. 

Mr.  Van  Rensselaer,  N.  Y.,  presents  a  report  in  Congress 
strongly  favoring  the  encouragement  by  legislative  measures 


History  of  the  United  States.  129 

1826.  of  the  planting  of  mulberry  trees  and  the  breeding  of  silk 
worms,  2  May. 

The  American  Home  Missionary  Society  is  organized  hi  New 
York,  10  May. 

William  Morgan,  of  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  having  written  for  publi 
cation  a  work  alleged  to  contain  an  exposure  of  Free-Masonry, 
is  arrested  on  a  crimiiTal  process  and  taken  to  Canandaigua, 
where  he  is  imprisoned;  he  is  released,  12  Sep.,  and  forcibly 
taken  to  the  Niagara  frontier,  where  he  is  last  seen;  the  "ab 
duction  "  creates  intense  excitement  throughout  the  country; 
rewards  are  offered  in  vain  for  the  discovery  of  Morgan  alive, 
or  if  murdered,  of  the  offenders ;  an  anti-Mason  party  is  formed 
and  has  a  rapid  spread. 

William  Charles  Macready,  the  English  tragedian,  appears 
for  the  first  time  in  the  U.  S.,  at  New  York,  2  Oct. 

The  first  railroad  constructed  in  the  U.  S.  with  metallic 
tracks  is  opened  7  Oct.;  it  extends  from  the  granite  quarries  at 
Quincy,  Mass.,  to  tidewater  on  the  Nepouset  River,  a  distance 
of  3  miles. 

A  treaty  for  the  indemnity  of  American  citizens  is  signed 
between  the  U.  S.  and  Great  Britain,  13  Nov. 

An  attempt  is  made  in  Texas  to  renounce  Mexican  authority 
and  proclaim  the  province  a  Republic  under  the  name  of 
Fredonia. 

The  total  capital  now  employed  in  American  manufactures 
is  estimated  at  $156,500,000,  of  which  $30,000,000  are  credited 
to  Pennsylvania,  $28,000,000  to  New  York,  and  $26,000,000  to 
Massachusetts;  this  includes  every  species  of  manufactures 
except  food,  in  which  the  capital  is  estimated  at  $200,000,000. 

The  power-loom,  for  weaving  wire,  is  invented  by  John  S 
Gastin,  of  N.  Y. 

Kenyon  College,  Gambler,  0.,  the  Newton  (Mass.)  Theologi 
cal  Institute  (Baptist),  and  Western  Reserve  College,  Hudson, 
O.,  are  founded. 

The  national  expenses  f9r  the  year  are  $24,103,398;  the  debt 
is  $81,054,059;  the  imports  are  $89,974,477;  and  the  exports, 
$77,595,322. 

1827,  A  body  of  disaffected  Texans  have  a  skirmish  with  Government 

troops  and  rout  them,  4  Jan.;  the  Mexicans  form  an  alliance 
with  the  Indians  to  subdue  the  Texan  revolutionists  and  estab 
lish  garrisons  throughout  the  province. 

The  famous  Switchback  railroad  at  Mauch  Chunk,  Penn.,  for 
the  transportation  by  gravity  of  coal  from  the  summit  mines  to 
the  landing  on  the  Lehigh,  is  completed,  8  Jan. 

A  portion  of  the  members  of  some  of  the  American  Yearly 
Meetings  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  set  up  a  distinct  association 
under  the  leadership  of  Elias  Hicks,  21  April,  and  are  dis 
tinguished  from  the  Orthodox  Friends  by  the  name  of  Hicksites. 

In  view  of  the  depressed  condition  of  the  woolen  trade  and 
other  industries,  the  Pennsylvania  Society  for  the  promotion  of 
manufactures  and  the  mechanic  arts,  14  May,  call  a  general 
industrial  convention  to  be  held  in  Harrisburg,  30  July;  the 
convention  is  attended  by  95  delegates  from  13  States;  Joseph 
Ritner,  Penn.,  is  chosen  president;  Jesse  Buel,  N.  Y.  andFrisby 


130  History  of  the   United  States. 

1827  Tilghman,  Md.,  vice-presidents,  and  William  Halsted,  Jr,,  N. 
J.,  and  Redwood  Fisher,  Penn.,  secretaries;  committees  are 
appointed  to  prepare  a  memorial  to  Congress,  an  adress  to  the 
citizens  of  the  U.  S.  and  papers  on  the  condition  of  the  manu 
facturing  industries. 

Albeit.  Gallatin,  who  was  sent  as  Minister  to  Great  Britain 
last  year,  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  a  better  understanding 
between  that  country  and  this  concerning  the  West  Indian 
trade,  concludes  a  treaty  at  London,  0  Aug. 

The  subject  of  a  general  revision  of  the  tariff  is  brought  before 
Congress,  31  Dec.,  and  a  resolution  adopted  authorizing  the 
Committee  on  Manufactures  to  send  for  persons  and  papers. 

A  general  conference  of  the  Freewill  Baptist  Church  is  organ 
ized  as  an  annual  session. 

Washington  Medical  College,  Baltimore,  and  the  Medical 
School  of  the  University  ot  Virginia,  Charlottes ville,  are 
founded. 

Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  of  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  begins  to  assert 
claims  as  the  founder  oi'  a  new  Christian  sect  called  the 
''Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints,"  and  the 
discoverer  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  a  continuation  of  the  Old 
Testament  records. 

John  Me  Clintic,  of  Chambersburg,  Penn.,  invents  the  iirst 
practical  contrivance  for  mortising  and  tenoning. 

The  first  bell  made  from  blistered  bar  steel  melted  is  turned 
out  in  New  York,  and  pronounced  equal  in  sound  to  composi 
tion  bells. 

Artists  and  materials  are  sent  from  England  to  start  the  first 
lithographic  establishment  in  the  IT.  S.,  at  Boston. 

The  total  salt  product  of  the  II.  S.  for  the  year  is  estimated  at 
4,151,182  bushels,  of  which  1,104,452  are  credited  to  New  York, 
and  929,848  to  Virginia. 

The  American  Minister  is  authorized  to  offer  the  Mexican 
Government  $1,000,000  for  the  establishment  of  a  boundary 
line  between  the  highlands  of  the  Neuces  and  the  Rio  Grande. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $22,656,704;  the  debt 
is  $78,987,357;  the  imports  are  $79,484,068;  and  the  exports, 
$82,, 324,727. 

1828.  The  controversy  between  the  Federal  Government  and  the  State 
authorities  of  Georgia  is  finally  settled  early  in  Jan.  by  a  treaty 
with  the  Creek  Indians  for  the  purchase  of  the  remaining  strip 
of  their  land  in  that  State. 

A  treaty  with  Mexico  is  signed,  1£  Jan.,  establishing  a  bound 
ary  line. 

The  Congressional  Committee  on  Manufactures,  to  whom  was 
.referred  the  subject  of  a  general  revision  of  the  tariff,  submit 
a  report,  21  Jan.,  with  a  bill  altering  the  Acts  imposing  duties 
on  imports;  the  chief  articles  on  which  heavy  protective  duties 
are  laid  are  woolen  and  cotton  fabrics;  the  debate  on  the  bill 
begins  in  the  House  3  March,  and  closes  22  April,  the  members 
from  the  Middle  and  Western  Free  States  supporting  the  bill, 
and  those  from  the  Cotton  States  with  a  majority  of  those  from 
>Je\v  England  opposing  it;  in  the  Senate  a  few  amendments  are 
made,  and  the  bill  becomes  law,  15  May, 


History  of  the   United  States.  131 

1828.  De  Witt  Clinton,  popularly  considered  the  "  Father  of  the 
Erie  Canal,"  dies  11  Feb. 

The  first  wool  sale  ever  held  in  the  U.  S.  takes  place  at 
Boston,  10  June,  when  1536  bales  of  Saxony,  Spanish,  and 
other  foreign  and  American  wool,  amounting  to  400,000  pounds, 
are  sold  for  nearly  $300,000. 

Rev.  E.  Burt,of  Conn.,  receives  a  patent  for  the  first  Ameri 
can  power-loom  for  weaving  check  and  plaid  goods,  19  Aug. 

At  the  Exhibition  of  the  Franklin  Institute,  Phila.,  8-16  Oct., 
a  premium  is  awarded  to  Seth  Boyden,  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  for  an 
assortment  of  buckles,  bits,  and  other  goods  of  annealed  cast 
iron;  this  is  the  first  time  that  annealed  cast  iron  has  been  used 
for  such  purposes  in  the  U.  S. 

The  gubernatorial  election  in  New  York  is  rendered  unusually 
exciting  by  the  appearance  of  a  strong  anti-Masonic  party  in 
the  field;  Francis  Granger  receives  the  nomination  of  that  party 
for  Governor,  and  John  Crary  that  for  Lieutenant-Governor; 
subsequently  Mr.  Granger  declines,  and  Solomon  Southwick  is 
substituted;  the  Adams  party  nominates  Judge  Smith  Thomp 
son,  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  for  Governor,  and  Mr.  Gran 
ger  for  Lieutenant-Governor;  the  Jackson  party  nominates 
Martin  Van  Buren  for  Governor,  and  EnosT.  Throop  for  Lieu 
tenant-Governor;  in  the  election  Mr.  Van  Buren  receives  136,- 
794  votes,  Judge  Thompson,  106,444,  and  Mr.  Southwick, 
33,345. 

For  the  Presidential  campaign,  the  Adams  party  renominates 
the  President,  withRicharJ  Rush,  of  Penn.,for  Vice-President; 
while  the  Democrats  name  Andrew  Jackson  for  President, with 
John  C.  Calhoim  for  Vice-President;  Jackson  and  Calhoun 
receive  650,028  popular  and  178  electoral  votes,  and  Adams  and 
Rush,  512,159  popular  and  83  electoral,  William  Smith,  for  V.  P., 
7;  Jackson  and  Calhoun  are  declared  elected. 

The  Western  Theological  Seminary  (Pres.),  at  Alleghany, 
Penn.,  is  founded. 

William  Howard,  of  Baltimore,  receives  the  first  American 
patent  for  a  locomotive  engine. 

P.  B.  Smith,  of  New  York,  begins  the  manufacture  of  varnish 
for  general  purposes. 

William  Woodworth,  of  Hudson,  N.  Y.,  takes  out  a  patent 
for  the  first  machine  for  planing,  tongueing,  grooving,  and 
cutting  boards. 

The  introduction  of  a  superior  grade  of  cotton  raised  on  the 
Sea  Islands,  off  the  Carolina  coast,  creates  considerable  excite 
ment,  and  large  sums  of  money  are  offered  the  grower  for  his 
secret. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $25,459, 479; the  debt 
is  $67,475,043;  the  imports  are  $88,509,824;  and  the  exports, 
$72,264,686. 

,829=  The  Legislatures  of  Georgia  and  South  Carolina  send  protests  to 
Congress  against  the  Tariff  Act  of  the  preceding  session,  pro 
nouncing  it  unconstitutional  and  ruinous  to  commerce  and  aori- 
culture. 

The  cotton  manufacturers  of  Phila.  hold  a  meeting,  3  Feb., 


132  History  of  the   United  States. 

1829.    and  decide  to  open  one  or  more  private  houses  for  the  siale  ol 
their  goods,  instead  of  selling  them  off  by  auction. 

The  House  Committee  to  whom  were  referred  the  resolution  3 
relative  to  the  disposition  of  the  public  lands,  report,  25  Feb., 
opposing  a  division  of  the  lands  among  the  States,  and  recom 
mending  a  distribution  of  the  net  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  publl ; 
lands  among  the  States  in  the  ratio  of  their  population;  the 
amount  of  public  land  to  which  the  Government  still  holds  tho 
right  of  soil  is  stated  to  be  over  1000  millions  of  acres. 

Gen.  Jackson  is  inaugurated  seventh  President  of  the  U.  S. 
4  March;  he  selects  his  Cabinet  officers  as  follows:  Martin  Van 
Buren,  N.  Y.,  Secretary  of  State;  Samuel  D.  Ingham,  Penn.: 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury ;  John  Branch,  N.  C.,  Secretary  ol 
the  Navy;  John  McP.  Berrien,  Ga,,  Attorney-General;  and 
William  T.  Barry,  Ky.  (new  cabinet  office),  Postmaster- 
General.  In  his  inaugural  the  President  pledges  himself  to  an 
administration  of  reform. 

During  the  summer  the  President  makes  a  large  number  of 
iemovals'from  office,  including  nearly  500  postmasters. 

The  American  Institute  of  the  State  of  New  York  is  incor 
porated,  2  May,  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  domestic1  indus 
try  in  the  State  and  the  U.  S.,  in  agriculture,  commerce,  manu 
factures,  and  the  arts;  it  holds  its  first  annual  fair  in  Castle 
Garden,  in  Nov. 

Sam  Patch,  who  has  made  successful  leaps  at  Passaic  Falls 
and  Niagara,  is  killed,  13  Nov.,  while  jumping  the  Genesee 
Falls,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

The  first  Session  of  the  21st  Congress  opens  7  Dec.,  both 
Houses  having  an  administration  majority;  the  power  of  the 
President  to  make  removals  from  office  except  for  cause  is 
vigorously  debated. 

Louis  McLane  is  appointed  Minister  to  England;  William  C, 
Rives  to  Spain;  and  Thomas  P.  Moore  to  Colombia 

Among  the  public  institutions  founded  this  year  are  the  Mas 
sachusetts  Institution  for  the  Instruction  of  the  Blind;  the  Ohio 
State  Institution  for  the  Blind;  Georgetown  (Ky.)  College;  the 
Auburn  (N.  Y.)  Theological  Seminary  (Pres.);  Lane  Seminary 
(Pres.),  Cincinnati;  and  the  Theological  Department  of  the  St. 
Louis  (Mo.)  University  (R.  C.). 

Dr.  John  W.  Revere,  of  New  York,  perfects  a  process  for 
galvanizing  iron. 

Hamilton  Stewart  begins  the  manufacture  of  damask  table 
linen  in  Phila.,  in  Dec. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Cumber 
land  Presbyterian  Church  is  held  at  Princeton,  Ky. 

Prof.  Hitchcock,  of  Amherst,  Mass.,  makes  the  first  discovery 
of  tin  in  the  U.  S.,  atGoshen,  Conn. 

James  Conant  makes  the  first  successful  attempt  in  the  U.  S. 
to  manufacture  sewing-silk  by  machinery,  at  Mansfield,  Mass. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $25,044,358;  the  debt 
i§  $58,421,413;  the  imports  are  $74,492,527;  and  the  ^-^rts, 
$72,358,671. 


of  t!<*  Cnited  States.  133 

1830.  A  resolution  introduced  by  Mr.  Foot,  in  the  Senate,  directing 
an  inquiry  into  the  expediency  of  limiting  the  sales  of  public 
lands,  leads  to  a  five  month's  debate,  during  which  Mr.  Uayne, 
of  S.  C.,  in  replying  to  Mr.  Webster,  announces  the  nullification 
doctrine. 

The  House  committee  on  ways  and  means,  to  whom  was  referred 
the  part  of  the  President's  message  opposing  a  second  time  the 
renewal  of  the  charter  of  the  U.  S.  Bank,  submits,  through  Mr. 
M'Duifie,  of  S.  C.,  an  elaborate  report  opposing  tli.>  President's 
views;  in  response  to  a  resolution,  the  finance  coui.nittee  of  the 
Senate,  reporting  on  the  expediency  of  establishing  a  uniform 
national  currency  for  the  U.  S.,  declares  the  objections  to  the 
President's  proposed  government  bank  insuperable  and  fatal,  and 
the  scheme  impracticable. 

The  President  vetoes  a  bill  authorizing  the  government  to 
subscribe  to  the  stock  of  the  Maysyille  and  Lexington  (Ky.) 
turnpike  road,  holding  that  to  justify  an  appropriation  for  in 
ternal  improvement  the  object  must  be  one  of  common  defense, 
and  of  a  general  and  national,  not  a  local  or  State  benefit ;  Mr. 
Polk  asserts  that  by  this  single  act  the  President  has  clone 
more  than  any  man  in  the  country,  for  the  last  thirty  years,  to 
preserve  the  constitution ;  failing  to  obtain  a  two-thirds  vote 
the  bill  is  rejected. 

In  his  annual  message  (Dec.),  the  President  gives  at  greater 
length  his  objections  to  the  prevailing  system  of  internal  im 
provements,  and  suggests  the  propriety  of  a  general  plan  by 
which  an  equal  distribution  of  the  surplus  revenues  should  be 
made  among  the  several  States,  to  be  used  for  purposes  of  in 
ternal  improvement  ;  he  places  the  expenditures  heretofore 
made  for  internal  improvements  at  upwards  of  $5,000,000,  and 
estimates  the  cost  of  works  partially  and  entirely  surveyed 
and  projected  at  $96,000,000  ;  a  harbor  improvement  bill  is 
introduced  early  in  the  session  and  passes  by  large  majorities  ; 
the  Piesident  signs  it  together  with  other  bills  of  a  like  charac 
ter,  making  large  appropriations  for  the  improvement  of  roads 
.  and  rivers,  and  for  a  light-house  sj'stem. 

Attorney-General  Berrien,  in  an  opinion  to  the  War  Depart 
ment,  maintains,  on  the  authority  of  decisions  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  that  the  right  of  the  Cherokee  Indians  to  the  disputed 
lands  in  Georgia  is  one  of  occupancy  mere'y;  a  bill  to  provide 
for  "an  exchange  of  lands  within  any  of  the  States  or  Territor 
ies,  and  for  their  removal  west  of  the  rivei  Mississippi,"  is  re- 
ported  by  the  committee  on  Indian  affairs  of  each  House  and 
adopted ;  the  sum  of  $500,000  is  appropriated  to  carry  the  pro 
visions  of  the  bill  into  effect.  The  Secretary  of  War  and  Gen. 
Coffee  sign  a  treaty  with  the  Choctuw  Indians  by  which  the 
latter  agee  to  cede  their  lands  and  remove  beyond  the  Missis 
sippi  within  three  years.  The  Cherokees  determine  not  to  emi 
grate,  and  issue  an  appeal  to  the  public,  complaining  of  the  in 
fringements  upon  then:  rights  by  the  State  of  Georgia  and  of 
the  lack  of  government  protection;  they  engage  William  Wilt 
as  legal  counsel,  and  he  attempts  to  establish  their  rights  by 
making  a  case,  by  consent,  before  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court : 
Gov.  Gilmer  declines;  the  State  aor*>J«*ities  grow  bolder;  Georg/ 


134  History  of  the  United!  (States. 

1880.  Tassels,  an  Indian,  is  tried,  convicted  of  murder,  and  sentenced 
to  be  hanged,  by  the  State  officials ;  a  writ  of  error  is  obtained 
from  the  U.  S.  {Supreme  Court  ordering  the  State  to  show  cause 
why  the  judgment  should  not  be  corrected)  the  State  Legislature 
enjoins  all  State  officers  to  disregard  the  mandate,  and  author 
izes  the  Governor  to  order  the  sheriff  to  proceed  with  the  execu 
tion;  the  Indian  is  accordingly  hanged. 

A  treaty  is  signed  between  the  U.  S.  and  Turkey.  Yale  Col 
lege  erects  the  first  astronomical  telescope  in  the  U.  S.  Charles 
Kean,  the  English  actor,  makes  his  American  debut  in  New 
York  City.  Joseph  Smith  publishes  Rev.  Solomon  Spaulding's 
religious  romance  as  a  revelation  and  founds  the  Mormon  sect. 
Georgia  sends  her  first  contribution  of  native.gold  to  the  U.  S. 
mint.  The  town  of  Chicago  is  laid  out  and  lots  are  offered  for 
sale.  Charleston,  S.  C.,  has  the  honor  of  opening  the  first 
American  steam  railroad  line  to  travel  and  traffic.  Some  Indi 
ans  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribes  commit  a  series  of  depredations 
upon  the  whites  near  the  mouth  of  Rock  Kiver,  Illinois,  which 
leads  to  a  treaty  between  the  government  and  Keokuk,  their 
chief,  by  which  the  Indians  agree  to  remove  beyond  the  Miss 
issippi.  President  Jackson  is  renominated  for  the  Presidency 
by  friends  in  the  New  York  Legislature.  The  first  section  of 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad  is  opened  for  business.  The 
first  Fourdrinier  machine  built  in  the  U.  S.  is  turned  out  at 
Windham,  Conn.  The  Louisville  and  Portland  Canal,  around 
the  falls  of  the  Ohio,  is  opened  (o  Dec.),  at  a  cost  of  $750,000. 

In  accordance  with  special  instructions,  Mr.  McLane,  thenew 
minister  to  England,  re-opens  the  discussion  with  Great  Britain 
concerning  the  colonial  trade,  and  effects  an  arrangement  by 
which  she  will  open  the  ports  of  her  West  India  and  other 
American  colonial  possessions  to  the  vessels  of  the  U.  S.  and 
their  cargoes  on  equal  terms  with  her  own  sailing  from  the  U. 
S.,  and  will  permit  U.  S.  vessels  to  export  from  her  colonies  to 
any  country  except  the  British  dominions,  on  the  same  terms 
as  British  vessels;  the  President  issues  a  proclamation  announc 
ing  the  arrangements  (5  October). 

Joseph  Dixon  begins  the  manufacture  of  lead  pencils  in  tl  e 
U.  S.,  at  Salem,  Mass.  The  omnibus  makes  its  first  appearance 
in  New  York  City.  John  Randolph  is  appointed  minister  to 
Russia,  succeeding  Henry  JVliddleton.  John  C.  Calhoun,  Vice- 
President,  initiates  an  acrimonious  controversy  with  the  Presi 
dent  concerning  the  latter's  conduct  during  the  Seminole  war. 

James  H.  Peck,  Judge  of  the  U.  S.  District  Court  for  the 
District  of  Missouri,  is  impeached  for  alleged  abuse  of  judicial 
authority  and  is  acquitted;  as  a  result  of  this  trial  a  law-is 
passed  restricting  the  power  of  judges,  in  punishing  for  con 
tempt  of  court,  to  cases  of  misbehavior  in  the  presence  of 
courts,  or  so  near  them  as  to  obstruct  the  administration  of 
justice,  and  also  to  the  official  misbehavior  of  officers  of  the 
courts.  The  President  effects  a  wholesale  discharge  of  govern 
ment  officials. 

The  first  National  political  Convention  ever  held  (the  Anti- 
Masonic)  meets  at  Philadelphia,  presided  over  by  Francis 
Granger. 


History  of  the   United  States.  135 

1830.  The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $94,5852*81, 
the  debt  is    $48,565,406,    the    value    of  import*    aggregates 
$70,876,920,  and  of  exports,  $73,849,508. 

1831.  The  President's  cabinet  is  dissolved  by  resignations,   and  the 

following  successors  are  appointed:  Edward  Livingston,  of  La., 
Secretary  of  State;  Louis  McLane,  of  Del.,  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury;  Lewis  Cass,  of  0.,  Secretary  of  War;  Levi  Wood- 
bury,  of  N.  H.,  Secretary  of  the  Navy;  Roger  B.  Taney,  of 
Md.,  Attorney-General;  William  T.  Barry,  of  Ky.,  re-appointed 
Postmaster-General.  Mr.  Eaton,  Ex-Secretary  of  War  is  ap 
pointed  Governor  of  Florida,  and  Martin  Van  Buren,  Ex-Secre 
tary  of  State,  Minister  to  England;  on  the  confirmation  of  Mr. 
Van  Buren  the  Senate  is  a  tie;  Vice-President  Calhoua  casts  a 
decisive  negative  vote. 
Ex-President  James  Monroe  dies  (4th  July). 
Virginia  and  Louisiana  opened  their  first  railroads.  Fayette- 
ville,  N.  C.,  is  destroyed  by  fire.  The  State  of  Pennsylvania 
completes  a  great  work  of  internal  improvement  embracing  the 
construction  of  118  miles  of  railroad,  277  miles  of  canals,  and  a 
series  of  inclined  planes,  at  a  cost  of  over  $12,000,000.  The 
Morris  Canal  connecting  Newark,  N.  J.,  with  the  Delaware 
River  is  opened.  The  Charleston,  S.  C.,  railroad  makes  the 
first  application  of  four-wheeled  trucks  to  its  cars.  The  Uni- 
yersity  of  the  City  of  New  York  is  established. 

The  negroes  in  the  Southern  part  of  Virginia  break  out  in 
insurrection  and  murder  over  fifty  whites  ;  Virginia  and  Nortel 
Carolina  State  troons  crush  the  insurrection  and  capture  thr 
leaders. 

Tlie  case  of  the  Cherokee  Indians  approaches  a  crisis  ;  th< 
last  act  of  the  Georgia  Legislature  makes  it  a  misdemeanor  fol 
white  men  to  reside  within  the  limits  of  the  Cherokee  nation 
after  1  March,  without  a  license  from  the  Governor  and  with 
out  having  taken  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  State;  Dr.  Butler 
and  Rev.  Messrs.  Worcester  and  Thompson,  Presbyterian  mis 
sionaries,  and  two  Methodist  ministers  have  been  arrested  under 
the  act;  ten  white  persons  have  been  indicted,  tried,  and  sen 
tenced  to  four  years  imprisonment;  Gov.  Gilmer  pardons  all 
but  Dr.  Butler  and  Mr.  Worcester,  on  receiving  assurance  that 
they  would  not  again  violate  the  laws;  Dr.  Butler  is  conveyed 
to  jail  in  chains ;  Mr.  Worcester  applies  to  the  U.  S.  Supreme 
Court  for  Relief. 

The  Anti-Masonic  Convention  in  Baltimore  (Sep.)  nomin 
ates  William  Wirt.  of  Md.,  for  President,  and  Amos  Ellmaker, 
of  Pa.,  for  Vice-President,  the  first  nomination  ever  made  by  a 
National  Convetion.  The  Convention  of  National  Republicans 
at  Baltimore  (12  Dec.)  nominates  Henry  Clay,  of  Ky.,  for  Presi- 
ident,  and  John  Sergeant,  of  Pa.,  for  Vice-President. 

The  first  session  of  the  22d  Congress  opens  (5  Dec.); the 
Senate  has  an  opposition  majority  ;  in  the  House,  Speaker 
Stevenson,  the  administration  candidate,  is  re-elected  by  a 
single  vote.  For  a  third  time  the  President  attacks  the  U.  S. 
Bank  in  his  message.  A  number  of  propositions  are  submitted 
in  relation  to  the  disposal  of  the  public  lands,  but  none  receives 
a  final  and  favorable  action  in  both  houses. 


136  History  of  the   United  States. 

1881.  The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $30,038,445, 
the  debt  is  $39,124,191,  the  value  of  imports  aggregates  $103, 
191,124,  and  of  exports,  $81,310,583. 

1832.  The  Asiatic  cholera  makes  its  first  appearance  in  the  U.  S. 
Henry  R.  Schoolcraft  discoveres  the  source  of  the  Mississippi 
river  while  on  an  exploring  expedition.  Horse  cars  begin 
running  on  the  streets  of  New  York.  Charles  and  Fanny 
Keinble  make  their  theatrical  d&but  in  America  at  New  York. 

The  case  of  Rev.  Mr.  Worcester  against  the  State  of  Georgia 
is  decided  by  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court;  the  laws  of  that  State 
under  which  possession  had  been  taken  of  the  Cherokee  coun 
try  and  persons  had  been  punished  for  residing  therein,  are 
declared  to  be  contrary  to  the  constitution,  treaties,  and  laws  of 
the  U.  S.;  Mr.  Worcester  is  ordered  by  a  special  mandate  from 
this  court  to  the  Superior  Court  of  Georgia  to  be  discharged; 
the  mandate  is  disregarded  and  the  missionaries  are  kej  t  in 
,  prison  without  any  hope  of  liberation  before  another  session  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  next  year. 

Brigham  Young  joins  the  Mormons  at  Kirtland,  0.,  with  his 
father,  four  brothers,  and  six  sist(  rs. 

The  first  Democratic  National  Convention  meets  in  Baltimore 
(May),  and  re-nominates  Gen.  Jackson  for  President,  and 
names  Martin  Van  Buren,  of  N.  Y.,  for  Vice-President. 

Gen.  Santa  Anna  places  himself  at  the  head  of  the  garrison 
of  Vera  Cruz,  Mex.,  and  attempts  to  re-organize  the  ministry; 
taking  the  field  against  Bustamente  he  wages  an  irregular  war 
for  nearly  a  year;  at  an  armistance  it  is  agreed  to  recall  Presi 
dent  Pedraza  from  exile  and  place  him  in  the  capital. 

Randolph-Macon  College,  Boydtown,  Va.,  is  established. 
James  Gordon  Bennett  issues  the  first  number  of  the  New  York 
Globe,  (29  Oct.) 

Black  Hawk  repudiates  the  treaty  made  with  Keokuk,  and 
gathers  the  Winnebagoes,  Sacs,  and  Foxes  for  further  depreda 
tions;  they  recross  the  Mississippi  river,  spread  rapidly  over  the 
country,  destroying  the  villages  and  killing  the  white  settlers  ; 
Gens.  Atkinson  and  Scott  are  charged  with  the  defence  of  the 
frontier;  after  embarking  at  Buffalo  cholera  breaks  out  among 
•  Gen.  Scott's  troops,  and  they  are  unable  to  co-operate  with  Gen. 
Atkinson;  Gen.  Atkinson  reaches  Black  Hawk's  encampment, 
and  after  a  series  of  sharp  engagements  disperses  the  Indians 
and  takes  Black  Hawk  and  a  number  ^f  leading  braves  pris 
oners. 

The  States  Rights  Party  in  South  Carolina  hold  a  convention 
at  Columbia  (19  Nov.) ;  they  issue  an  ordinance  in  the  name 
of  the  people,  declaring  that  Congress  has  exceeded  its  protect 
ive  duties,  that  the  Acts  should  from  that  time  be  null  and  void, 
and  it  that  is  the  duty  of  the  Legislature  and  the  State  Court, 
to  take  prompt  measures  to  prevent ;  tfieir  operation  after  1  Feb., 
1833  ;  five  days  later  the  friends  of  the  convention  in  the  same 
place  solemnly  protest  against  the  ordinance;  Gov.  Hamilton  ap 
proves  the  ordinance  in  his  message;  he  recommends  the  re 
organization  of  the  militia,  that  "he  be  allowed  to  ^accept 
volunteers,  and  that  provision  be  made  for  procuring  heavy 
ordnance  and  other  munitions  of  war;  the  President  issues  a 


History  of  the  United  States.    '  137 

4f 

proclamation  (10  Dec.),  asserting  that  the  laws  of  the  U.  8. 
must  be  executed,  and  appealing  to  the  patriotism  of  S.  G.  to 
retrace  her  steps,  and  to  the  country  to  rally  in  defense  of  the 
Union ;  the  proclamation  has  a  favorable  reception,  but  does 
not  arrest  the  preparations  for  war  j  the  government  takes 
steps  to  maintain  its  laws.  € 

A  further  treaty  is  made  at  Payne's  Landing,  Fla.,  with  the 
Seminoles,  by  which  they  agree  to  give  up  all  their  reservations, 
and  to  conditionally  remove. 

Prof.  Morse  begins  the  series  of  experiments  which  result  in 
the  magnetic  telegraph. 

A  bill  originating  in  the  House,  making  appropriations  for 
certain  internal  improvements  for  the  year,  passes  both  bodies 
and  is  signed  by  the  President  notwithstanding  his  frequent 
objections  to  the  system  of  internal  improvement;  the  sums 
appropriated  for  about  fifty  objects  aggregate  $1,200,000;  an 
other  bill  making  appropriations  for  certain  harbors  also  passes 
both  bodies,  but  the  President  retains  it,  without  signing,  until 
after  the  adjournment. 

A  new  tariff  act  passes  at  this  session;  Mr.  M' Duffle,  chairman 
of  the  committee  on  ways  and  means,  reports  (8  Feb.)  in  con 
formity  with  the  views  of  the  opponents  of  protection;  it  favors 
a  general  system  of  ad  v  -lorem  duties,  and  proposes  a  reduction 
of  duties  to  a  standard  deemed  necessary  for  the  purpose  of 
revenue,  after  the  payment  of  the  public  debt;  in  compliance 
with  a  resolution,  Mr.  McLane,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
makes  another  report  (27  April),  with  a  bill  proposing  several 
specific  reductions  and  a  general  reduction  to  an  aggregate 
sum  equal  to  the  expenses  of  the  government;  Mr.  McLane's 
bill  passes  both  houses  after  modifications  in  each. 

A  new  apportionment  of  members  of  the  House  of  Representa 
tives  under  the  fifth  census  is  made.  In  the  Presidential  election 
Gen.  Jackson  receives  219  electoral  votes;  Henry  Clay,  49;  and 
William  Wirt,  7'  for  Vice-President,  Van  Buren  receives  189; 
Sergeant,  49;  30  Pennsylvania  electors  vote  f  or  William  Wilkins 
(Pa.)  for  Vice-President,  and  the  eleven  votes  of  South  Carolina 
go  for  John  Floyd  (Va.)  and  Henry  Lee  (Mass).  The  popular 
vote  is  Jackson,  687,502  ;  Clay,  530,189  ;  Wirt,  33,108. 

The  petition  of  the  officers  of  the  U.  S.  Bank  for  a  renewal 
of  its  charter  is  referred  to  a  select  committee  of  the  Senate, 
who  report  favorably;  long  debates  ensue;  finally  a  bill  foi 
re-chartering  the  Bank  passes  both  Houses;  the  President  vetoes 
it,  and  its  friends  fail  to  carry  it  over  the  veto;  in  the  House  a 
committee  is  appointed  to  investigate  the  books  and  proceedings 
of  the  Bank,  numerous  acts  of  misconduct  being  alleged  against 
the  management;  Messrs.  Clayton,  Johnson  (Ky.),  Cambreleng, 
and  Thomas  submit  a  majority  report,  Messrs.  McDuffie,  Adams, 
and  Watmough,  a  second,  and  Mr.  Adams,  a  third;  in  his  an 
nual  message  the  President  recommends  the  removal  of  the 
public  funds  from  the  U.  S.  Bank  and  a  sale  of  the  stock  be 
longing  to  the  government.  * 

Col.  Bradburn  arrests  ancl  imprisons  a  number  of  citizens  at 
Anahuac,  Texas;  the  colonists  headed  by  John  Austin  hold  a 
meeting  and  demand  the  release  of  the  prisoners;  receiving  a 


1 38  History  of  th*  United  Mates. 

1833.  refusal  they  threaten  to  i  luce  the  garrison;  Bradburn  pinions 
his  prisoners  to  the  ground,  declaring-  the  first  shot  fired  by  the 
colonists  will  be  their  fate ;  the  colonists  vow  if  he  executes  his 
threat  the  crime  and  its  retribution  wii]  be  written  on  the  fort 
with  his  blood  j  a.  few  shots  are  fired,  then  an  adjustment  is 
accepted  only  to  be  violated  by  Bradburn  ;  the  Texans  attack 
the  Mexicans  (26  June)  at  Velasco  and  capture  the  fort;  Piedras 
goes  to  the  relief  of  Anahuac,  but  is  met  by  the  Texans  and 
forced  to  capitulate;  Texas  frees  herself  of  military  domination 
and  internal  strife  (August);  a  convention  of  the  people  is  held 
at  San  Felipe  (Oct.)  to  secure  a  separation  from  Coahuila,  but 
without  success. 

Treaties  are  signed  between  the  U.  S.  and  Mexico  (5  April), 
Naples  (14  Oct.),  and  Russia  (18  Dec.). 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $34,356,698; 
the  debt  is  $24,322,235;  the  value  of  imports  aggregates  f  101,- 
029,266,  and  of  exports  $87,176,943. 

t833.  The  U.  S.  Treasury  Building  at  Washington  is  destroyed  by  fire, 
but  its  valuable  contents  are  saved. 

The  President  sends  a  message  to  Congress  communicating  the 
proceedings  of  the  S.C.  Legislature,  and  suggesting  the  adoption 
of  such  measures  as  the  crisis  seems  to  demand  ;  the  judiciary 
committee  reports  a  bill  authorizing  the  President  to  employ 
the  land  and  naval  forces  to  enforce  the  collection  of  the  reve 
nue,  if  resistance  is  offered;  Virginia  requests  S.  C.  to  rescind 
her  nullifying  ordinance,  and  Congress  to  speedily  reduce  the 
revenue  from  duties  to  the  standard  of  necessary  expenses; 
Mr.  Clay  introduces  his  compromise  tariff  bill  (12  Feb.),  to  pre 
vent  the  destruction  of  the  tariff  policy  and  to  avert  civil  war; 
he  proposes  a  gradual  reduction  of  the  obnoxious  duties  during 
the  next  ten  years;  Mr,  Webster  opposes  the  bill,  but  it  passes 
both  Houses;  the  operation  of  the  nullifying  Acts  is  suspended 
in  S  C.,  and  at^a  convention  called  by  the  Governor  (11  March) 
the  ordinance  is  repealed  because  of  the  modification  of  the 
tariff  and  the  friendly  action  of  Virginia.  Mr.  Clay's  bill  to 
distribute  for  a  limited  time  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  public 
lands  is  adopted  a  second  time,  but  the  President  retains  it  be 
yond  the  session.  Eight  millions  of  acres  of  land  have  been 
granted  by  Congress  to  new  States  up  to  this  time. 

The  first  reaping  machine  is  publicly  tried  before  the  Hamil 
ton  County  Agricultural  Society  of  Ohio,  by  Obed  Hussey. 
The  Knickerbocker  Magazine  is  established  in  New  York  by  Mr. 
Peabody.  Frederick  Tudor  begins  the  exportation  of  American 
ice,  sending  a  cargo  to  India. 

Santa  Anna  is  elected  President  of  Mexico  j  the  federal 
system  is  again  re-organbed;  Gen.  Duran  promulgates  a  plan 
in  favor  of  the  church  and  the  army,  and  proclaims  Santa  Anna 
supreme  Dictator  of  the  nation;  the  President  leaves  the  capital 
with  an  army  to  quell  the  revolt;  Arista,  second  in  command, 
declares  in  favor  of  Duran's  plan;  Vice-President  Farias  rallies 
the  federalists  against  the  soldiery,  defeating  the  President's 
scheme;  Santa  Anna  returns  to  the  capital,  raises  another  army, 
and  compels  the  surrender  of  the  insurgents;  Arista  ia  pardon* 
ed,  and  Duran  exiled 


History  of  the  United  States.  I39 

j  833.  The  S.  C.  Railroad  Is  now  completed  to  Savannah,  and  is  the 
longest  line  in  the  world.  A  canal,  connecting  the  Ohio  River 
with  Lake  Erie,  is  opened  to  navigation.  • 

Gen.  Stephen  F.  Austin,  charged  with  delivering  a  statement 
of  grievances  to  the  Mexican  authorities  from  the  people  of 
Texas,  is  arrested  while  returning,  at  Saltillo,  by  order  of  Yice- 
President  Farias,  and  thrown  into  a  dungeon;  two  parties 
spring  up  among  the  Americans  in  Texas  one  anxious  to  pro- 
clainTthe  province  independent  of  Mexico,  the  other  retaining 
confidence  in  Santa  Anna  and  opposing  revolutionary  measures, 
while  also  anxious  for  a  State  Government;  a  second  convention 
is  held  at  San  Felipe  to  effect  a  separation  of  Texas  from  Coah- 
uila  (April),  at  which  a  petition  for  the  separation  of  the  two 
provinces  is  framed  and  the  plan  of  a  State  constitution 
adopted. 

Congress  refuses  to  authorize  the  removal  of  the  public  funds 
from  the  U.  S.  Bank;  after  the  adjournment  the  President  as 
sumes  the  responsibility  and  directs  William  J.  Duane,  the 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  to  withdraw  the  Government  funds, 
(nearly  $10,000,000)  and  deposit  them  in  certain  State  Banks; 
the  Secretary  refuses  and  is  removed  from  office;  Roger  B. 
Taney  is  appointed  his  successor,  and  promptly  executes  the 
President's  order ;  the  amount  of  loans  of  the  bank  (1  Oct.)  is 
estimated  at  over  $60,000,000;  intense  excitement  throughout 
the  country  ensues;  the  whole  amount  of  Government  funds  is 
removed  in  nine  months;  the  State  Banks  receive  the  funds  on 
deposit  and  begin  to  loan  freely ;  confidence  is  being  rapidly 
restored. 

A  commercial  treaty  is  concluded  between  the  U.  S.  and 
Austria,  another  with  Turkey,  and  a  special  one  with  the 
Kingdom  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  by  which  $1,720,000  are  to  be 
paid  as  an  indemnity  for  claims  of  citizens  of  the  U.  S.  for 
depredations  upon  our  commerce  by  the  King  of  Naples  be 
tween  1809  and  1812.  A  bill  drawn  on  the  French  Government 
for  the  first  instalment  ($900,000)  of  the  indemnity  due  citizens 
of  the  U.  S.,  according  to  Mr.  Rives's  treaty  with  France  in 
1831,  is  dishonored  on  presentation  for  payment. 

The  second  term  of  Gen.  Jackson's  administration  begins 
(4  March).  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  of  New  York,  is  appointed 
Attorney-General. 

The  Legislatures  of  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Ohio,  and 
Tennessee  pass  resolutions  approving  the  President's  course  on 
the  Bank  question.  * 

Andrew  Stevenson,  of  Va.,  is  again  re-elected  Speaker  of  the 
House.  Mr.  Clay  offers  a  resolution  (5  Dec.)  requesting  the 
President  to  inform  the  Senate  whether  the  paper  on  the  bank 
question  read  to  his  cabinet  and  alleged  to  have  been  published 
by  his  authority,  is  ge^'ime  or  not,  and  if  genuine  to  furnish 
the  Senate  with  a  copy  of  it;  the  resolution  is  adopted;  the 
President,  in  reply,  questions  the  right  of  the  Senate  to  require 
of  him  an  account  of  any  communication  made  in  a  cabinet 
Council,  and  declines  to  comply*,  Mr.  Clay  submits  two  resolu. 
Ions  declaring  the  President's  dismissal  of  the  late  Secetary  of 


140  History  of  the  United  States 

1.838,  the  Treasury  for  not  removing  the  deposits,  and  the  appolntmem 
of  another  who  did,  an  illegal  exercise  of  power,  and  the  reasons 
therefor  unsatisfactory;  the  discussion  is  protracted  for  three 
months;  the  second  resolution  is  adopted  as  read,  and  the  first 
after  being  modified  by  the  author;  the  President  in  a  message 
protests  against  this  action,  and  the  Senate  adopts  a  resolution 
declaring  the  President  has  no  right  to  send  a  protest  to  the 
Senate  against  any  of  its  proceedings. 

The  missionaries  imprisoned  in  Georgia  in  defiance  of  the 
U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  discontinue  then-  suit  and  are  released. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $24,257,298, 
the  debt  is  $7,001,032;  the  value  of  imports  aggregates 
$108,118,311,  and  of  exports,  $90,140,443. 

1834.  The  Mormons  organize  a  governing  body  called  the  Twelve 
Apostles.  Serious  differences  as  to  doctrines  have  sprung  up  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  its  adherents  now  divide  into  the 
New  School  and  the  Old  School  parties.  Branch  mints  are  to  be 
established  at  New  Orleans,  Charlotte,  N.  C.,  and  Dahlonega. 
Ga.  Many  of  the  President's  former  supporters  are  joining  the 
opposition;  the  combined  force  is  assuming  the  name  of  Wkigs, 
while  the  administration  party  adhere  to  the  name  of 
Democrats. 

Horace  Greeley,  Jonas  Winchester,  and  E.Sibbett  bring  out 
the  New  Yorker  (22  March). 

The  Seminole  Indians  in  Florida  are  creating  grave  ala*  m; 
Mican  py,  the  king  of  the  nation,  is  opposed  to  the  removal 
agreed  to  in  the  treaty  of  1832,  and  Osceola,  then*  most  noted 
chief,  peremptorily  refuses  to  leave  the  land  of  his  fathers;  the 
President  sends  Gen.  Wiley  Thompson  to  Florida,  to  prepare 
for  a  forcible  removal  of  the  Indians,  if  necessary:  the  haughty 
bearing  of  Osceola  and  his  firmness  in  pressing  his  remon 
strances  against  the  proceedings  anger  Gen.  Thompson,  and  bo 
orders  the  chief  to  be  placed  in  irons  and  confined  for  a  day;  01 
his  release  the  Indian  feigns  penitence,  agrees  to  the  removal 
and  promises  to  surrender  certain  cattle  and  horses  during  the 
first  fortnight  of  Dec.,  1835. 

New  Orleans  is  beginning  to  light  her  streets  with  gas. 

The  Indian  Territory,  with  an  area  of  71,000  square  miles,  \9 
organized. 

The  manufacture  of  table  cutlery  is  established  at  Greenfield, 
Mass. 

Mr.  McLane  resigns  the  office  of  Seci-etary  of  State,  and  John 
Forsyth,  a  Senator  from  Georgia,  is  appointed  in  his  place;  Mr. 
Woodbury,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  receives  the  appointment  of 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  to  succeed  Mr.  Taney,  whose  appoint 
ment  during  the  recess  the  Senate  refuses  to  confirm;  Mahlon 
Dickerson,  a  former  Senator  from  INew  Jersey,  is  appointed 
Secretary  of  the  Navy;  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Butler,  as  At 
torney-General,  is  confirmed.  Speaker  Stevenson,  of  the  House, 
is  nominated  as  minister  to  Great  Britan,  but  is  rejected  in  the 
Senate;  the  British  mission  has  been  vacant  two  years,  Aaron 
Vail  acting  as  the  U.  S.  Representative.  Mr.  Stevenson  resigns 
the  Speaker's  chair,  and  John  Bell,  of  Tenn.,  te  chosen  Speakei 
on  the  tenth  ballot.  *  Representativ«  Gordon,  of^Va.,  in  az> 


History  of  the  United  States.  141 

1334.   amendment  to  a  pending  bill,  suggests  the  establishment  of 
U.  S.  Sub-treasuries,  but  his  proposition  is  ridiculed. 

The  Senate  finance  committee,  instructed  to  investigate  the 
affairs  of  the  U.  S.  Bank,  make  a  voluminous  report  (18  Dec.), 
which  is  in  the  main  favorable  to  the  management. 

The  number  of  officers,  agents,  contractors,  etc.,  who  are 
paid  from  the  U.  S.  Treasury  is  reported  at  upwards  of  60,000, 
of  whom  31,917  are  connected  with  the  Post  Office  Department. 
Oberlin  (0.)  College  is  established. 

The  French  Government  having  repeatedly  refused  the  Legis 
lation  necessary  to  pay  the  U.  S.  the  first  instalment  of  the 
indemnity,  the  President  suggests,  as  a  measure  of  redress, 
reprisals  upon  French  commerce,  in  case  the  Chambers  again 
adjourn  without  making  provision  for  payment. 

The  election  in  New  York  City  is  unusually  stormy;  political 
meetings  are  broken  up,  the  militia  are  called  out  for  the  pro 
tection  of  the  city,  and  many  rioters  are  arrested. 

New  York  City  elects  a  Mayor  (Cornelius  W.  Lawrence)  for 
the  first  time. 

The  anti-slavery  agitation  is  creating  mob  violence;  leading 
abolitionists  are  brutally  attacked,  and  their  dwellings  together 
with  a  number  of  churches,  school-houses,  and  negro  homes  in 
various  parts  of  the  country  destroyed;  Philadelphia  has  a 
three  nights'  riot  in  which  the  mob  assaults  nearly  fifty  houses 
inhabited  by  negroes. 

Lafayette  dies  at  La  Grange,  France  (20  May). 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  blossoms  out  as  a  city,  and  gives  itself  a 
full  set  of  municipal  officers. 

A  crowd  of  disguised  people  attack  a  convent  at  Charles- 
town,  Mass.,  seeking  a  girl  alleged  to  be  confined  against  her 
will,  and  failing  to  discover  her,  they  wrarn  the  inmates  out  and 
destroy  the  buildings  by  fire. 

Santa  Anna  deserts  the  federal  republican  party  and  system 
in  Mexico,  and  espouses  the  cause  and  assumes  the  direction  of 
his  former  political  enemies;  conscious  of  his  strength  as  the 
head  of  the  military  chiefs  and  the  army,  he  dissolves  the 
national  Congress  and  the  council  of  government  and  sum 
mons  a  new  and  unconstitutional  one  to  meet  in  Jan.  next, 
until  which  time  he  is  the  supreme  authority;  these  proceedings 
have  a  marked  influence  on  the  citizens  of  Texas;  the  Legislature 
of  Coahuila  and  Texas  is  divided  into  two  parties:  one,  assem 
bling  at  Monclova,  denounces  Santa  Anna  and  sustains  Viduari, 
the  constitutional  governor ;  the  other,  meeting  at  Saltillo, 
declares  for  Santa  Anna,  issues  a  proclamation  against  the 
Congress,  annuls  the  decrees  of  the  State  Legislature,  and  elects 
a  military  governor;  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Coahuila  and 
Texas  gives  away  large  tracts  of  the  public  domain  which  lie 
almost  exclusively  within  the  limits  of  Texas,  against  the  pro 
tests  of  the  Texan  members. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $24,601,982; 
the  debt  is  $4,760,081;  the  value  of  imports  aggregates 
$126,521,332,  and  of  exports,  $104,  336,973. 

1835,  An  attempt  is  made  to  assassinate  the  President  by  a  crazy 
Englishman  named  Lawrence,  who  is  captured  and  sent  to  « 


142  History  of  the  Unite*  States. 

1835.  lunatic  asylum  (30  Jan.)  Chief  Justice  John  Marshall  dies  at 
Philadelphia  (6  July).  The  New  York  Herald  makes  its  appear- 
ance  as  a  two-cent  paper,  under  the  auspices  of  James  Gordon 
Bennett  and  Anderson  and  Smith,  printers  (fi  May.). 

It  is  decided  by  popular  vote  in  New  York  City  to  begin  the 
construction  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct.  The  publication  of  the 
"Moon  Hoax,"  by  Richard  Adams  Locke,  editor  of  the  Ntw  York 
Sun,  creates  great  excitement  throughout  the  country  and 
Europe. 

Messrs  James  and  Erastus  Brooks  bring  out  the  New  York 
Express. 

Santa  Anna's  irregular  Congress  meets  (Jan.);  the  Vice-Presi- 
dent  is  deposed  without  impeachment  and  Gen.  Barragan,  a 
leading  centralist,  succeeds  him;  the  reduction  and  disarming 
of  the  militia  of  the  several  States  is  decreed;  a  rebellion  results 
in  the  State  of  Zacatecas,  which  the  President  suppresses  by  a 
battle  on  the  plains  of  Guadalupe;  a  few  days  later  the  "Plan  of 
Toluca,"  changing  the  federal  system  to  a  central  government, 
is  published,  and  the  Central  Republic  is  established  by 
decree  (3  Oct.);  Santa  Anna  reduces  all  opposition  by  force 
of  arms  except  in  the  province  of  Texas,  from  which  the 
citizens  drive  all  the  Mexican  troops;  Santa  Anna  pre 
pares  a  large  army  to  subjugate  the  Texans.  The  Mexican 
Governor  ol  Texas  calls  out  the  militia,  but  the  appeal  is  dis 
regarded  and  the  executive  compelled  to  flee;  the  Congress  de 
poses  the  State  authorities  and  arrests  and  banishes  all  refractory 
Legislators;  Gen.  Stephen  Austin  is  released  and  returns  from 
Mexico;  he  calls  the  Texans  to  arms  and  organizes  the  militia 
to  repel  the  Mexican  invasion;  the  Mexican  General  Cos  ar 
rives  at  Copano  and  marches  toward  Bexar;  the  Texans  attack 
the  Mexicans  at  Gonzalez  (1  Oct.)  and  disperse  them;  eight 
days  later  they  capture  the  Mexican  stronghold,  Goliad,  with 
$10,000  worth  of  stores  and  a  large  quantity  of  arms;  Gen. 
Austin  defeats  a  superior  force  of  Mexicans,  near  Bexar 
(20  Oct.);  the  Texan  colonists  hold  a  general  convention  at 
San  Felipe  and  adopt  a  declaration  of  rights  and  independence 
(7  Nov.);  a  provisional  government  is  formed,  with  Henry 
Smith,  governor,  and  Samuel  Houston,  commander-in-chief  of 
the  army;  Edward  Burleson  is  elected  to  the  chief  command  of 
the  volunteers,  and  Gen.  Austin  is  appointed  a  commissioner 
to  seek  the  aid  and  recognition  of  the  U.  S.;  the  Texans,  under 
the  veteran  Milam,  besiege  Bexar,  and  after  penetrating  to  the 
center  of  the  town,  force  the  garrison  to  surrender  (11  Dec.). 

President  Jackson  announces  the  extinction  of  the  national 
debt.  Chicago  organizes  a  fire-department,  and  opens  her  first 
bank.  The  manufacture  of  horse-shoes  by  machinery  is  begun 
at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  of  pins  at  New  York.  Col.  Sam  Colt  begins 
making  revolver  pistols  at  Hartford,  Conn.  Springhill  College, 
St.  Joseph,  Ala.,  and  Oglethorpe  University,  Atlanta,  Ga.,  are 
organized.  Attacks  upon  the  negroes  and  abolitionists  are 
becoming  daily  occurrences  in  the  Northern  States.  Work 
te  begun  on  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad.  New  York 
City  is  visited  by  a  terrible  fire  (16  Dec.);  the  night  is  in 
tensely  cold:  the  flames  rage  three  days,  lay  waste  "the 


History  of  the  United  States.  143 

1835  business  part  of  the.cuy,  and  consume  648  houses  and  stores 
with  $18,000,000  worth  of  property;  the  flames  are  checked  by 
blowing  up  bull  clings  with  gunpowder;  all  the  insurance 
companies  are  forced  to  suspend  payments. 

Instead  of  keeping  his  promise  with  Gen.  Thompson, 
Osceola,  the  Seminole  chief,  takes  to  the  war  path  in  the  Ever' 
glades  of  Florida  (Dec.);  Major  Dade  is  sent  from  FortBrooke- 
at  the  head  of  Tampa  Bay,  with  over  100  men,  to  the  assistance 
of  Gen.  Clinch,  at  Fort  Drane,  in  the  interior;  the  Major  and 
all  but  four  of  his  command  are  massacred  near  Wahoo 
Swamp  (28);  the  same  day  Osceola  appears  near  Fort  King, 
and  while  Gen.  Thompson  is  dining:  with  friends,  the  Indiana 
suddenly  kill  the  general  and  five  others;  Osceola  takes  Thomp 
son's  scalp  and  the  Indians  disappear  before  the  assault  is 
known;  Gen,  Clinch  and  his  troops  have  a  battle  with  the 
Seminoles  on  the  Withlacoochee  (31).. 

In  the  U.  S.  Senate  Mr.  Benton  moves  a  resolution  ordering 
Mr.  Clay's  resolutions  against  the  President  on  the  deposits 
question  to  be  expunged  from  the  minutes.  A  claim  for  spolia 
tions  of  the  property  of  American  citizens  by  France  prior  to 
1800  is  presented,  with  a  bill  proposing  to  pay  the  claimants  an 
aggregate  of  $5,000,000;  Mr.  Webster,  its  author,  advocates 
the  bill,  while  Mr.  Wright  leads  the  opposition;  the  bill  passes 
the  Senate,  and  the  House  postpones  action  on  it  till  next 
session. 

A  Democratic  National  Convention  in  Baltimore  adopts  the 
two-thirds  rule,  and  unanimously  nominates  Van  Buren  for 
President ;  Richard  M.  Johnson  nominated  for  Vice-President. 
Wm.  Henry  Harrison  and  Francis  Granger  are  nominated  by 
several  Whig  State  Conventions.  Georgia  and  Tenn.  nominate 
Hugh  L.  White  and  John  Tyler;  Mass.,  Webster  and  Granger; 
Mel.,  Harrison  and  Tyler;  S.  C.,  W.  P.  Mangum  and  Tyler. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $27,573,141; 
the  value  of  imports  aggregates  $149,895,742,  and  of  exports, 
$121,693,577. 

1836.  Santa  Anna  sets  out  from  Saltillo  for  the  Rio  Grande,  where 
there  are  8,000  troops,  to  drive  the  Americans  out  of  Texas 
(1  Feb.);  he  attempts  to  excite  the  Indians  against  the  Texans; 
the  Mexican  minister  to  the  U.  S.  remonstrates  against  the 
interference  of  the  American  people  in  a  purely  domestic  ques 
tion  of  Mexico;  the  President  of  the  U.  S.  sends  Maj.-Gen. 
Graines  to  command  the  troops  on  the  Louisiana  border,  with 
orders  to  preserve  a  strict  neutrality  and  to  arrest  any  person 
exciting  the  Indians  to  war;  Gen.  Austin  goes  to  the  U.  S.  to 
obtain  means  for  cany  ing  on  the  war;  Gen.  Houston  hastens  to 
treat  with  the  Indians,  and  Gov.  Smith  is  removed  from  office; 
information  is  received  (7  Feb.)  that  the  Mexicans  are  advancing 
to  the  Rio  Grande,  and  that  a  strong  detachment  is  ajready  at 
Matamoras;  Col.  Fannin  notifies  the  provisional  government, 
and  calls  for  aid  to  protect  Bexar;  the  colonists  are  dilatory, 
and  allow  the  Mexicans  to  concentrate  on  the  heights  of  the 
Alesan  (23  Feb.);  the  Texans,  under  William  B.  Travis,  and 
numbering  150  men,  retire  to  the  Alamo,  and  sustain  a  bom- 
bardment  cf  24  hours  without  losing  a  man;  Travis  makes 


144  JTistory  of  the  United  (States, 

5HJ3C.  repeated  appeals  for  aid;  only  33  volunteers  from  Gonzalez 
come  to  his  succor;  the  entire  MexicTin  force  of  over  4000  men, 
under  Santa  Anna,  surround  the  Alamo  at  midnight  (6  March); 
they  are  twice  repulsed  in  attempting  to  scale  the  walls,  but  a 
third  time  they  succeed;  only  two  persons,  Mrs.  Dickerson  and 
a  negro  servant,  escape  the  butchery  that  follows;  among  the 
slain  are  Travis,  Maj.  Evans,  Col.  James  Bowie,  and  David 
Crockett,  of  Tenn. 

In  the  meantime  a  convention  of  the  colonists,  who  now 
number  at  least  50,000,  is  held  at  Washington,  on  the  Brazos, 
and  (2  March)  it  unanimously  agrees  to  a  declaration  of  inde 
pendence;  a  constitution  for  the  Republic  of  Texas  is  adopted 
(17),  and  David  G.  Burnett,  of  N.  J.,  is  appointed  provisional 
president. 

Gen.  Urrea,  leaving  Santa  Anna  near  Bexar,  proceeds  alon^ 
the  coast  with  a  strong  division;  Capt.  King,  with  a  small 
detachment,  falls  in  with  the  Mexican  cavalry,  and  his  whole 
party  are  captured  and  killed;  Col.  Fannin,  not  hearing  from 
King,  sends  another  detachment  under  Col.  Ward  to  protect 
the  families  at  the  Mission  of  Refugio;  Ward  has  two  engage 
ments  with  the  Mexicans;  in  the  first  he  is  victorious,  but  in 
the  second  he  is  overpowered  and  forced  to  surrender;  Fannin 
begins  a  retreat  from  Goliad  to  Victoria  (18  March),  and  is  over 
taken  the  same  day  by  the  Mexicans;  he  repels  all  Urrea's 
charges  until  dusk,  when  a  body  of  Indians  crawl  through  the 
grass  and  attack  him;  Urrea  is  reinforced  in  the  morning,  and 
Fannin  is  obliged  to  surrender;  the  capitulation  is  violated  by 
SantaAnna's  orders  (27  March),  and  all  the  prisoners,  amounting 
to  about  400,  are  put  to  death  at  Goliad,  save  a  few  who  escape 
after  the  first  fire. 

The  army  under  Gen.  Houston,  numbering  783  men,  crosses 
Buffalo  Bayou  (19  April),  surrounds  the  Mexican  force  under 
Gen.  Cos,  numbering  nearly  1,000  men,  on  the  San  Jacinto, 
makes  a  sudden  attack  (21),  and  nearly  annihilates  the  enemy, 
killing  630,  wounding  208,  and  taking  730  prisoners,  with  a  loss 
on  their  own  side  of  8  killed  and  17  wounded;  Santa  Anna 
himself  is  captured  on  the  following  day;  President  Burnett 
concludes  a  convention  with  Santa  Anna  (14  May),  and  the  lat 
ter  is  nominally  released,  much  against  the  popular  sentiment, 
which  demands  that  he  be  detained  within  Texas;  subsequently 
the  President  of  Texas  releases  him;  he  goes  to  Washington. 
D.  C.,  has  a  secret  conference  with  the  President  of  the  U.  S. 
(18  Dec.),  and  leaves  (26)  in  a  war  vessel  for  Mexico. 

The  Seminoles  attack  Gen.  Gaines  near  the  Withlacoochee 
(29  Feb.)  and  kill  a  number  of  his  troops;  the  Creeks  begin 
depredations  in  Georgia  and  Alabama,  attacking  villages  and 
causing  the  whites  to  flee;  Gen.  Scott  wages  a  vigorous  war 
against  the  Creeks,  subduing  them  and  sending  several  thou 
sands  to  their  designated  homes  in  the  west;  Gov.  Call,  of  Ga.. 
marches  against  the  Seminoles  with  nearly  2,000  men  (Oct.);  2. 
severe  engagement  occurs  near  the  scene  of  Dade's  massacre 
(21  Nov.),  but  without  material  results. 

Arkansas,  formed  from  French  territory,  adopts  a  constitution 
(1  March),  and  is  admitted  into  the  Union  by  Act  of  15  June;  the 


History  of  the  United  State*.  145 

1S36.  same  Act  admits  Michigan  conditionally.  By  Act  of  20  April 
Wisconsin  is  formed  as  a  Territory  out  of  lands  acquired  from 
Great  Britain  and  heretofore  lying  in  the  Territory  of  Michigan, 

Brigham  Young  is  elected  President  of  the  Twelve  Apostles, 
Mormons. 

The  Union  Theological  Seminary  (Presby.)  in  New  York 
City  is  founded. 

The  charter  of  the  U.  S.  Bank  expires  by  limitation. 

Ex-President  James  Madison  dies  (28  June).  Aaron  Bun- 
dies  (14  Sep.) 

The  Treasury  Department  issues  a  circular  (11  July)  requiring 
all  collectors  of  the  public  revenue  to  receive  nothing  but  gold 
and  silver  in  payments;  the  "  Specie  Circular"  is  denounced  b> 
business  men  generally. 

Congress  authorizes  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  to  dis 
tribute  all  the  public  funds,  except  $5,000,000,  among  the  dif 
ferent  States  on  the  basis  of  their  representation;  a  mania  for 
speculation  sets  in. 

Gen.  Samuel  Houston  is  elected  the  first  constitutional  Presi 
dent  of  the  Republic  of  Texas,  and  Gen.  Mirabeau  B.  Lamar, 
Vice-President  (Sept.). 

Vice-President  Martin  Van  Buren  (Dem.),  of  N.Y.,  is  elected 
President  of  the  U.  S.,  over  William  Henry  Harrison  (Whig), 
of  0;;  H.  L.  White  (Intl.),  of  Tenn.;  and  Daniel  Webster 
(Whig),  of  Mass.;  for  Vice-President  there  is  no  electoral  choice 
between  Richard  M.  Johnson  (Dem.),  of  Ky.;  Francis  Granger 
(Whig),  of  N.  Y.;  John  Tyler  (Ind.),  of  Va.;  and  William 
Smith  (Whig),  of  Ala.  The  electoral  votes  are  Van  Buren,  170; 
Harrison,  73;  White,  26;  Webster,  14,  and  Mangum,  11;  and 
for  Vice-Pres.,  Johnson,  147;  Granger,  77;  Tyler,47;  Smith,  23, 
The  popular  vote  is  :  Van  Buren,  761,549  ;  the  opposition, 
736,656. 

The  United  States  Patent  Office  is  destroyed  by  fire,  with  all 
its  contents  ;15  Dec.). 

In  Mexico  the  Congress  suspends  the  presidential  authority  of 
Santa  Anna  while  a  prisoner  in  Texas  (20  May);  Gen.  Barracan, 
Vice-Pres.,  assumes  executive  functions,  but  dies  shortly  after. 

The  anti-slavery  question  is  assuming  vast  proportions;  peti 
tions  praying  for  the  abolition  of  slavery  and  the  slave-trade 
are  daily  presented  in  Congress  from  the  free  States;  the  pre 
vailing  sentiment  is  that  Congress  has  no  constitutional  author 
ity  to  interfere  in  any  way  with  the  institution  of  slavery  in  any 
of  the  States. 

The  distinguished  actress,  Ellen  Tiee,  makes  her  first  Ameri 
can  appearance  in  New  York  (12  Dec.). 

Philadelphia  is  now  lighting  her  streets  with  gas. 

In  Ceiitreville,  Mich.,  tobacco,  for  chewL_g  purposes,  is  being 
cut  very  fine  by  machinery. 

Experiments  in  Pennsylvania  have  resulted  in  the  belief  that 
anthracite  coal  is  more  satisfactory  than  wood  for  locomotive 
fuel. 

Scientific  people  are  elated  over  the  erection  of  a  building  at 
Williamstown,  Mass.,  for  astronomical  observations. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  ve*r  amount  to  $30,934,664 


146  History  of  the  United  States 

1886.     the  value  of  imports  aggregates  $189,980,085,  and  of  exports 

$128,663,040. 

1837.  Senator  Benton's  persistency  in  seeking  to  have  Mr.  Clay's  resolu 
tion  of  28  March,  1834,  condemning  President  Jackson  for  remov 
ing  the  deposits,  expunged  from  the  journal,  meets  with  suc 
cess  (16  Jan.),  the  resolution  being  expunged  by  a  vote  of  24 
yeas  to  19  nays,  5  absentees. 

Michigan,  having  complied  with  the  conditions  imposed  upon 
her,  is  admitted  into  the  Union,  26  Jan. 

Santa  Anna  reaches  Vera  Cruz,  20  Feb.;  the  lack  of  confi 
dence  in  him  is  so  strong  that  he  is  forced  to  go  into  retirement; 
Gen.  Bustamente  is  elected  President;  frequent  declarations  in 
favor  of  federation  are  made,  but  the  government  suppresses 
the  disturbances  with  ease;  Gomez  Farias,  still  in  prison,  is 
making  strong  efforts  for  the  Presidency. 

The  independence  of  the  Republic  of  Texas  is  recognized  by 
the  U.  S.  Government,  3  March. 

Martin  Van  Buren,  eighth  President,  is  sworn  into  office 
(4  March);  he  appoints  as  his  cabinet,  John  Forsyth,  Secretary  of 
State;  Levi  Woodbury,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury;  Joel  It. 
Poinsett,  Secretary  of  War;  Mahlon  Dickinson,  Secretary  of 
the  Navy;  Amos  Kendall,  Postmaster-General;  and  Benjamin 
F.  Butler,  Attorney-General.  As  none  of  the  candidates  for 
Vice-President  received  a  majority  of  the  electoral  votes,  the 
Senates  goes  into  an  election,  and  chooses  Richard  M.  Johnson. 

The  town  of  Chicago  is  incorporated  as  a  city,  4  March. 

The  Seminole  campaign  has  continued  through  the  winter; 
after  several  severe  encounters  with  the  troops,  a  number  of 
chiefs  call  on  Gen.  Jesup,  at  Fort  Dade  (6  March),  and  sign  a 
treaty  which  guarantees  speedy  peace,  and  the  prompt  removal 
of  the  Indains  beyond  the  Mississippi;  during  the  summer, 
however,  Osceola  reappears,  urges  the  violation  of  the  treaty, 
and  renews  the  war;  Osceola,  with  several  chiefs  and  70  war 
riors,  appears  at  Jesup's  camp,  under  a  flag  of  truce  (21  Oct.); 
exasperated  by  his  former  treachery,  Jesup  seizes  all  the  Indians 
and  places  them  in  confinement;  Osceola  is  sent  to  Fort  Moul- 
trie,  S.  C.,  where  he  dies  of  a  fever;  nearly  9,000  troops  remain 
in  the  State,  engaging  irregularly  with  the  Indians  till  the  close 
of  the  year;  Col.  Zachary  Taylor  inflicts  a  severe  defeat  upon 
them  at  Macaco  Lake,  25  Dec. 

The  results  of  last  year's  overtrading  and  "•peculation  are 
becoming  alarming  apparent:  in  New  York  City  the  mercantile 
failures  already  (March  and  April)  amount  to  over  $100,000,000, 
and  in  New  Orleans  to  $27,000,000;  in  Boston  168  heavy  failures 
occur  within  six  months;  a  deputation  from  the  merchants 
and  bankers  of  New  York  call  upon  the  President  (May  i,  and 
solicit  him  to  defer  the  collection  of  duties  on  imported  goods, 
rescind  the  "  Specie  Circular,"  and  call  an  extraordinary  session 
of  Congress  to  adopt  relief  measures;  the  President  accedes  to 
the  first  request  only;  all  the  banks  in  New  York  suspend 
specie  payments  (10»,  and  the  Legislature  authorizes  the  sus 
pension  of  specie  payments  for  one  year  (1C);  the  action  of  the 
New  York  banks  is  speedily  followed  by  those  in*  Boston, 
Philadelphia,  Albany,  Hartford.  Baltimore,  Providence*  am 


History  of  the   United  States.  14? 

1837,  elsewhere.  Seeing  that  these  suspensions  will  seriously  embar- 
ras  the  Government  by  rendering  it  unable  to  obtain  gold  and 
silver  to  discharge  its  own  obligations,  the  President  calls  a 
special  session  of  Congress,  to  convene  4  Sep.;  in  his  message 
the  President  ruggests  the  entire  disuse  of  banks  as  fiscal 
agents  of  the  Government;  the  collection,  safe-keeping,  transfer, 
and  disbursements  of  the  public  money  by  officers  of  the  Gov 
ernment;  and  the  employment  of  specie  alone  in  its  fiscal 
operations.  He  believes  the  exclusive  use  of  specie  a  practicable 
operation,  and  holds  that  a  demand  for  it  will  thus  be  created, 
and  its  exportation  prevented;  to  supply  the  existing  deficiency 
in  the  Treasury  he  recommends  withholding  the  last  installment, 
19,367,200,  now  on  hand,  which  under  the  law  should  be 
deposited  with  the  States  in  Oct.  next.  Congress  meets  accord 
ing  to  the  call  and  sits  forty-three  days;  many  measures  for 
relief  are  proposed;  the  President's  recommendation  for  the 
establishment  of  an  independent  Treasury  meets  with  very 
strong  opposition ;  a  bill  cany  ing  out  the  suggestion  passes  the 
Senate  but  is  lost  in  the  House;  both  bodies  pass  a  bill  author 
izing  the  issue  of  f'-easuiy  notes  to  an  amount  not  exceeding 
$10,000,000,  and  another  postponing  the  deposit  of  the  last 
instalment  of  the  surplus  revenue  till  1  Jan.,  1839. 

The  Indiana  Asbury  Institute  at  Greencastle  is  organized. 

An  open  rupture  occurs  between  the  New  School  and  the 
Old  School  parties  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  the  process 
of  separation  begins;  the  undivided  Church  has  23  synods,  135 
presbyteries,  2,140  ministers,  280  licentiates,  244  candidates, 
2,865  churches,  220,557  members. 

Roman  Catholic  Bishops  are  appointed  for  Nashville,  Tenn., 
Natchez,  Miss.,  and  Dubuque,  Iowa. 

Rev.  E.  P.  Love  joy,  publisher  of  an  abolition  newspaper  at 
Alton,  111.,  is  killed  by  a  mob,  and  his  property  destroyed,  7 
Nov. 

The  first  regular  session  of  the  25th  Congress  opens,  4  Dec.; 
m  discussing  the  Sub-Treasury  bill,  Mr.  Tallmadge,  who  has 
separated  from  his  Democratic  friends,  pronounces  the  creed  of 
the  locofocos  the  destruction  of  the  whole  banking  system  of 
the  country,  the  repeal  of  charters,  and  the  abrogation  of 
vested  rights;  Messrs.  Clay,  Calhoun,  and  Webster  make  great 
speeches  on  the  financial  condition. 

A  revolutionary  movement  is  developed  in  Canada  (Dec.), 
supposed  to  have  in  view  a  separation  from  Great  Britain; 
William  Lyon  McKenzie  leads  the  agitation  in  Upper  Canada, 
and  Louis  Joseph  Papineau,  a  large  land-owner,  that  in  the 
Lower  Province;  the  movement  excites  the  sympathy  of  Ameri 
cans  in  the  northern  States;  the  Governors  of  New  York  and 
Vermont  issue  proclamations  warning  their  citizens  from  unlaw 
ful  acts;  the  steamboat  Caroline  is  seized  at  Schlosser,  on  the 
American  side  (29  Dec.),  by  a  party  of  armed  men  who  come 
from  and  return  to  the  Canadian  side;  the  crew  are  attacked, 
the  boat  is  set  on  fire,  and  drifts  over  the  Niagara  Falls. 

Capt.  John  Ericsson  successfully  applies  a  screw  for  the  pro 
pulsion  of  steam  vessels. 


148  History  of  the  United  State*. 

1837*        The  total  appropriations  for  the  prosecution  of  the  Seminole 
Indian  war  to  the  close  of  the  year  aggregate  $5,100,000. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $37,265,037; 
the  debt  is  $1,878,223;  the  value^of  imports,  $140,989,217,  and 
of  exports,  $117,419,376. 

!'838  President  Van  Buren  issues  a  proclamation  in  regard  to  the 
Canadian  excitement,  5  Jan.;  Gen.  Scott  is  ordered  to  assume 
military  command  on  the  border,  and  requisitions  are  made 
upon  Gov.  Marcy,  of  New  Yo"k,  and  Gov.  Jenison,  of  Ver 
mont,  for  such  military  force  as  Gen.  Scott  may  need;  Secretary 
of  State  Forsyth  informs  Mr.  Fox,  the  British  Minister,  of  the 
^Caroline  outrage;  a  bill  to  protect  the  frontier  and  preserve  our 
neutral  relations  passes  both  Houses  of  Congress;  the  Canadian 
"  patriot "  forces  are  disbanded  before  the  opening  of  spring; 
quite  a  number  of  Americans,  taken  prisoners  by  the  Canadian 
troops,  are  tried  under  British  laws,  convicted,  and  either  exe 
cuted  or  transported  to  Van  Dieman's  Land. 

The  Republic  of  Texas  applies  for  annexation  to  the  U.  S, 
(Jan.);  a  bill  is  introduced  for  the  purpose,  and  read  for  debate 
(24  April);  a  motion  to  refer  it  to  the  Committee  on  Foreign 
Affairs  is  laid  on  the  table;  the  Texan  Minister  formally  with 
draws  the  application,  Oct. 

The  Medical  College  of  Virginia  is  founded. 

A  branch  U.  S.  mint  is  opened  at  Dahlonega,  Ga. 

The  Mormon  community  at  Independence,  Mo.,  numbering 
12,000  men  and  women,  is  attacked  by  the  populace,  who  charge 
them  with  every  crime  in  the  criminal  code;  their  printing  office 
is  destroyed,  several  of  the  Apostles  are  tarred  and  feathered, 
and  a  number  of  the  "saints"  are  killed.  None  of  the 
charges  made  ag-ainst  the  Mormons  are  proven,  the  major 
ity  are  shown  to  be  ridiculous  and  without  foundation  ; 
nevertheless,  so  strong  is  the  religious  feeling1  aroused 
against  the  new  Christian  sect  that  they  are  driven 
from  the  State.  Joseph  Smith  conducts  them  to  Hancock 
County,  Illinois,  where  they  found  the  city  of  Nauvoo. 

In  Mexico  Gen.  Mexia  again  attempts  to  overthrow  the  cen 
tral  government;  he  advances  toward  the  capital  with  a  con 
siderable  force,  and  is  met  near  Pnebla  by  Santa  Anna,  who 
has  been  entrusted  by  President  Bustamente  with  the  command 
of  the  government  troops;  Mexia  is  defeated,  and  being  taken 
prisoner,  is  shot  on  the  field  of  battle,  without  time  for  prayer. 
A  French  fleet  attacks  Vera  Cruz  on  account  of  the  rejection  by 
Mexico  of  a  French  demand  for  reparation  for  the  plundering 
of  French  residents  and  the  violent  collection  of  forced  loans; 
Santa  Anna  commands  the  Mexican  troops,  and  while  following 
the  retreating  French,  has  a  leg  shattered  by  a  cannon-ball. 

The  Earl  of  Durham  succeeds  to  the  Governor-Generalship  of 
all  British  America;  having  banished  to  Bermuda  a  number  of 
prisoners  taken  in  the  insurrection,  he  is  censured  by  the 
British  Parliament,  which  induces  him  to  resign  before  the  close 
of  the  year;  a  fresh  rebellion,  which  had  been  organized  during 
the  summer  along  the  whol"  line  of  the  American  frontier, 
breaks  out  in  the  Montreal  district,  3  Nov.;  at  Napierville, 
where  some  4,000  insurgents  had  be^n  collected,  to  keep  com- 


History  of  the  United  States.  149 

1838.  munications  open  with  friends  in  the  U.  S.,  a  conflict  occurs  in 
\vhich  the  insurgents  are  defeated  by  a  party  of  loyalists;  the 
latter  are  in  turn  attacked  in  Odelltown,  but  repulse  the  insur 
gents.  Several  hundred  Americans  sail  from  the  vicinity  of 
Sackett's  Harbor  and  land  near  Prescott,  where  they  are  joined 
by  many  restless  Canadians;  the  camp  is  attacked  by  govern 
ment  troops  (13  Nov.),  and  sustains  the  shock  ;  the  party  are 
again  attacked  by  a  larger  force  (16),  when  nearly  the  whole 
surrender;  another  invasion  occurs  from  the  American  side 
(4  Dec.),  when  some  200  men  cross  from  Detroit  to  Sandwich, 
rout  a  party  of  British,  burn  the  barracks  and  a  steamer,  and 
are  almost  immediately  dispersed  by  fresh  troops;  many  of  the 
prisoners  are  shot  directly  after  the  skirmish. 

McKenzie,  who  started  the  "patriot"  rebellion  in  Canada, 
taking  up  his  residence  in  the  U.  S.,  is,  with  Gen.  Van  Rense- 
laer,  the  commander  of  the  united  American  and  Canadian 
force,  arrested,  and  tried  and  convicted  before  Judge  Thompson, 
for  a  violation  of  the  neutrality  laws;  both  are  sentenced  to 
fine  and  imprisonment. 

Both  Houses  of  Congress  pass  a  joint  resolution  repealing  the 
"Specie  Circular"  of  31  May,  1838. 

The  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  passes  an  act  for  the  pro 
motion  of^silk  culture,  2  April;  the  National  Silk  Society  is 
organized  at  Baltimore,  11  Dec. 

By  Act  of  Congress  (12  June)  Iowa  is  formed  as  a  territory 
from  the  teiritory  of  Wisconsin,  and  includes  all  the  tract 
between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Missouri  Rivers  and  north  of 
the  northern  boundary  of  Missouri. 

A  convention  is  signed  (Sep)  between  the  U.  S.  and  Mexico, 
by  which  it  is  agreed  to  refer  the  claims  of  the  former  upon 
the  latter  for  injuries  to  the  persons  and  property  of  our  citi 
zens  to  a  board  of  commissioners,  two  to  be  appointed  by  each 
party,  and  in  case  of  a  difference  of  opinion,  the  question  to  be 
submitted  to  the  King  of  Prussia,  or  to  an  arbiter  to  be  appointed 
by  him;  the  ratifications  to  be  exchanged  on  or  before  10  Feb., 
1839. 

Capt.  Charles  Wilkes,  U.  S.  N.,  sails  on  his  famous  South 
Sea  exploring  expedition. 

Two  steamers,  the  Great  Western  and  the  Sirius,  propelled 
exclusively  by  steam-power,  arrive  at  New  York  from  London 
and  Bristol  respectively,  and  are  the  pioneers  of  Atlantic  steam 
ship  travel. 

The  money  bequeathed  by  James  Smithson,  of  England, 
amounting  to  upwards  $500,000,  for  the  purpose  of  founding 
an  advanced  educational  establishment  in  the  U.  S.,  is  received 
at  New  York,  aud  with  it  the  Smithsonian  Institute,  at  Wash 
ington,  D.  C.,  is  created. 

Congress  having  ordered  a  new  set  of  standard  weights  and 
measures,  zinc  is  used  in  their  manufacture,  for  the  first  time 
in  the  U.  S. 

Solid  head -pins  have  begun  to  be  manufactured  at  Birming 
ham,  Conn. 

Charleston,  S.  C.,  is  visited  by  a  fire  which  destrovs  1,158 
buildings,  laying  waste  nearly  half  the  cit}% 


150  History  of  the   United  Statet. 

1888,  Over  one  hundred  persons  lose  their  lives  by  an  explosion  of 
the  boilers  of  the  Steamboat  Moselle  while  en  route  from  Cin 
cinnati  to  St.  Louis. 

The  manufacture  of  gold  spectacles  and  silver  thimbles  is 
begun  at  Long  Meadow,  Mass.,  by  Dimond  Chandler. 

Patents  are  granted  to  Charles  Goodyear,  for  making  gum- 
elastic  shoes;  to  Col.  Stephen  H.  Long,  U.S.A.,  for  a  suspension 
and  brace  bridge;  and  to  Elisha  K.  Root,  Collinsville,  Conn., 
for  a  machine  for  punching  and  forming  the  eyes  of  axes, 
hatchets,  and  hammers. 

The  national  expenses  of  the  year  amount  to  $39,455,488; 
the  debt  is  $4,857,000;  the  value  of  imports,  $113,717,404:  and 
of  exports,  $108,480,616. 

1839.  Mexico  fails  (10  Feb.)  to  perform  its  obligation  according  to  the 
convention  of  Sep.,  1838;  the  House  Committee  on  Foreign 
Relations  report  that  the  reasons  for  the  delays  are  unatisfactory , 
and  declare  the  determination  of  the  House  to  sustain  the  Ex 
ecutive  in  any  ulterior  measures  that  may  be  adopted;  Mexico 
assigns  as  a  chief  reason,  a  belief  that  the  King  would  decline 
to  serve;  the  President,  in  his  message  (Dec.),  attaches  little 
credence  to  this  reason,  but  receives  it  as  an  explanation;  he 
consents  to  a  new  convention  and  directs  Mr.  Ellis  to  resume 
diplomatic  intercourse  with  the  Mexican  authorities  for  the  pur 
pose. 

Charles  Goodyear  perfects  his  idea  of  vulcanizing  or  eboniz- 
ing  India-rubber  by  means  of  sulphur  (Feb.). 

W.  F.  Harnden,  of  Boston,  initiates  the  express  business  in 
the  U.  S.  (4  March),  carrying  packages  from  that  city  to  New 
York. 

Gen.  Macomb  succeeds  to  the  chief  command  of  the  U.  S. 
Army  (April);  he  induces  a  number  of  the  Seminole  chiefs  to 
sign  a  treaty  of  peace  (May),  by  which  they  are  to  remain  in 
Florida  until  they  can  be  convinced  of  the  advantageous  circum 
stances  of  their  acquaintances  who  have  emigrated  West;  the 
Indians  almost  immediately  resume  warfare  upon  the  Whites, 
and  the  Government  of  the  Territory  oiler  a  reward  of  $200  for 
each  Indian  killed  or  captured  (June). 

While  voyaging  down  the  Pacific  Coast  from  Alaska,  John 
A.  S  utter  is  stranded  in  what  is  now  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco 
(July);  he  seeks  the  interior,  obtains  a  Mexican  grant  of  land, 
and  establishes  himself  in  the  lumber  business. 

The  schooner  L' Amistad,  bound  from  Havana  to  G  janaja, 
Port  Principe,  with  fifty-four  blacks  on  board,  while  lying  near 
the  coast  of  Connecticut,  is  seized  by  Lieut.  Gedney,  of  the  U. 
S.  brig  Washington,  and  taken  into  New  London  (Aug.);  the 
blacks  prove  to  be  slaves,  purchased  at  Havana,  who,  when  they 
had  been  a  few  day:,  out,  rose  in- mutiny  and  killed  the  cap 
tain  and  three  of  the  crew;  Cingues,  son  of  an  African  chief 
and  leader  of  the  mutiny,  with  38  others,  are  committed  for 
trial;  a  demand  is  made,  upon  our  Government  by  the  acting 
Spanish  Minister  to  the  U.  S.,  for  the  surrender  of  the  vessel, 
the  cargo,  and  the  slaves  to  the  Spanish  authorities;  before  the 
U.  S.  Circuit  Court  in  Hartford  (Sep.)  the  counsel  for  Spain 
demands  the  release  of  tUe  blacks;  Judge  Thompson  denies  the 


History  oj  the   Uhitea  states.  151 

1839.  motion;  a  long  controversy  ensues  as  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
district  and  circuit  courts,  in  which  is  also  involved  the  claim  of 
the  officers  and  crew  of  the  Washington  for  salvage;  adjourn 
ments  are  had  to  Nov.  and  thence  to  Jan.,  next. 

Matthew  Carey,  the  distinguished  Protectionist,  dies  at  Phila. 
(17  Sep.) 

The  Republic  of  Texas  sends  a  diplomatic  agent  to  Vera 
Cruz,  to  endeavor  to  establish  amicable  relations  with  Mexico, 
but  the  commandant-general  threatens  to  imprison  him  if  he 
lands.  France  recognizes  the  Republic  and  signs  a  treaty  with 
it  (25  Sep.). 

Through  over-speculation  in  cotton  the  U.  S.  Bank  is  forced 
to  suspend  operations,  10  Oct.;  this  failure  entails  a  loss  of 
$2,000,000  in  deposits  upon  the  Government,  and  precipitates 
another  financial  panic;  over  400  banks  are  obliged  to  close 
business  wholly  or  in  part;  the  South  and  West  suffer  the  most 
severely. 

John  William  Draper,  M.D.,  L.L.D.,  is  elected  Professor  of 
Chemistry  in  the  University  of  New  York  (Nov.),  and  takes  the 
first  photographic  portrait  ever  taken  from  life. 

At  the  western  New  York  Anti-Slavery  Society's  meeting  at 
Warsaw  (13  Nov.)  an  abolition  ticket  is  nominated,  with  James 
G.  Birney  of  N.  Y.  for  President,  and  Francis  J.  Lemoyne,  of 
Penn.,  for  Vice-Preside nt. 

The  National  Whig  Convention  is  held  at  Harrisburg,Penn., 
beginning  4  Dec.,  with  James  Barbour,  of  Va.  in  the  chair; 
two  days  later  254  nominating  votes  for  President  are  cast,  of 
which  William  Henry  Harrison  receives  148,  Henry  Clay,  90, 
and  Gen.  Scott,  16;  John  Tyler,  as  a  candidate  for  Vice-Presi- 
dent,  receives  all  the  votes  cast,  231. 

Peaceful  relations  between  the  U.  S.  and  Great  Britain  are  en 
dangered  by  the  excitement  concerning  the  boundary  between 
the  State  of  Maine  and  the  British  Province  of  New  Brunswick; 
preparations  are  bein^  made  in  both  places  to  settle  the  dispute 
by  armed  combat;  Gen.  Scott  is  hurried  to  the  frontier  and 
succeeds  during  the  winter  in  restoring  quiet. 
^  In  his  annual  message  (Dec.)  the  President  again  calls  atten 
tion  to  his  Sub-Treasury  proposition,  and  Mr.  Wright  reports  a 
bill  in  the  Senate  authorizing  its  establishment. 

It  having  been  announced  that  a  pack  of  blood-hounds  have 
been  imported  from  Cuba  to  aid  in  the  capture  of  the  Seminole 
Indians,  many  petitions  are  received  in  Congress  remonstrating 
against  the  barbarity;  before  any  action  is  taken  the  use  of  the 
dogs  is  abandoned  because  of  inefficiency. 

Freeman  Hunt  establishes  the  Merchant's  Magazine. 

Messrs.  Baldwin,  Vail,  and  Hufty,  of  Phil  a.,  receive  orders 
from  English  railroad  companies  for  a  number  of  locomotives 
from  thetr  works. 

The  national  expenses  of  the  year  amount  to  $37,614,936;  the 
debt  is  $11,983,737;  the  value  of  imports  $162,092,132,  and 
of  exports,  $121,088,416. 

1840.  The  independent  Treasury  bill,  rejected  at  the  special  session  of 
1837,  and  renewed  by  Mr  Wright  upon  the  repeated  argument 


152  History  of  the  United  States. 

5840.  in  the  President's  message,  passes  the  Senate  (23  Jan.)  and  the 
House  (30  June). 

In  the  case  of  the  blacks  captured  on  IS  Amistad.  Judge 
Judsoii,  of  the  District  Court,  decides  (Jan.)  that  the  jurisdic 
tion  of  the  court  has  been  established,  that  the  seizers  are 
entitled  to  salvage,  that  the  demand  of  the  Spanish  authorities 
for  restoration  cannot  be  entertained,  and  that  the  actual 
murderers,  being  black,  must  be  set  free;  had  they  been  white 
they  would  have  been  tried  and  executed  as  pirates;  th< 
Africans  are  to  be  delivered  to  the  President  under  the  Act  oi 
1819,  to  be  returned  to  Africa;  an  appeal  is  taken  from  these 
decisions  to  the  Circuit  Court,  where  Judge  Thompson  affirms 
the  decree;  and  to  prevent  any  legal  doubt  the  Government 
itself,  at  the  request  of  the  Spanish  Minister,  appeals  to  the  U.  S- 
Supreme  Court,  which  affirms  the  decision  of  fhe  District  Court 
except  as  to  sending  the  blacks  back  to  Africa,  ordering,  instead, 
their  discharge  from  custody  as  free  men;  the  British  Govern 
ment  intercedes  with  our  Government  in  behalf  of  the  blacks, 
and  urges  Spain  to  enforce  the  laws  against  the  alleged  owners 
of  the  slaves  and  all  other  Spaniards  connected  with  the  trans 
action. 

On  the  assembling  of  the  20th  Congress  the  seats  of  live  of 
the  six  members  of  the  House  from  N.  J.  are  contested;  the 
event  leads  to  an  animated  debate;  the  committee  on  elections 
are  instructed  (28  Feb.)  to  report  forthwith  which  five  of  the 
claimants  received  the  largest  number  of  votes;  a  report  is 
made  (5  March)  in  favor  of  the  administration  candidates,  Messrs. 
Philemon  Dickerson,  Peter  D.  Vroom,  Daniel  B.  Ryall,  William 
R.  Cooper,  and  Joseph  Kille;  these  claimants  are  declared 
entitled  to  the  seats  '10  March);  after  receiving  further  testi 
mony,  the  report  of  the  committee  declaring  them  duly  elected 
is  adopted,  16  July. 

Senator  Benton  introduces  a  bill  from  the  military  committee, 
to  piovide  for  the  armed  occupation  and  settlement  of  that  por 
tion  of  Florida  infested  by  hostile  Indians,  by  granting  land  to 
settlers,  not  exceeding  10,000  men  able  to  bear  arms,  320  acres 
each;  but  the  bill  is  rejected. 

The  National  Democratic  Convention  is  held  at  Baltimore 
(5  May);  it  unanimously  nominates  Martin  Van  Buren  for  a 
second  Presidential  term;  no  candidate  for  Vice-President  is 
nominated,  but  subsequently  Richard  M.  Johnson  and  James 
K.  Polk  are  put  in  the  field  by  different  States. 

The  terms  "  log-cabin  "  and  "  hard  cider  "  are  applied  to  the 
exciting  campaign  in  compliment  to  Gen.  Harrison,  who  had 
experienced  pioneer  life  in  the  West,  and  usually  treated  his 
visirors  to  cider;  log-cabins  »re  erected  all  over  the  country 
during  the  campaign,  and  a  terrible  amount  of  hard  cider  is 
drunk  at  the  political  meetings  in  them. 

Of  the  electoral  votes  at  the  Presidential  election  the  Whig 
candidates  receive  234  each;  Van  Buren,  60;  R.M.Johnson, 
for  Vice-President,  48;  L.  WT.  Tazewell,  of  Va.,  11;  and  James 
K.  Polk,  1.  Whig  popular  vote,  1,275,017;  Democratic, 
1,128,702. 


History  of  the  United  States.  153 

1840.  Samuel  Cunard,  of  Halifax,  starts  the  first  of  the  line  of 
ocean  steamships  bearing  his  name,  the  Britannia,  from  Liver 
pool  (4  July),  and  it  reaches  Boston  in  fourteen  days.  £ 

In  .Mexico  the  Federalist  party,  headed  by  Gen.  Urrea  and 
Gomez  Farias,  create  an  insurrection  in  the  capital  city  (July) 
and  seize  the  President;  after  lighting  twelve  days  a  convention 
of  general  amnesty  is  agreed  upon  by  the  contending  parties. 

Great  Britain  recognizes  the  independence  of  the  Republic  of 
Texas,  and  concludes  a  treaty  with  it  (16  Nov.);  Mexico  agrees 
to  receive  a  Texan  agent  and  permit  him  to  submit  the  basis  of 
a  treaty.  ff 

The  census  shows  the  population  of  the  U.  S.  to  be  17,068,666. 
Alvan  Adams  begins  carrying  packages  between  Boston  and 
New  York  in  competition  with   W.  F.  Harnden,  and   thus 
founds  the  Adams  Express  Co. 

During  the  year  473  patents  have  been  issued  from  the  U.  S. 
Patent  office.  Among  the  most  important  are :  to  William  Rus 
sell,  New  York,  for  a  method  of  laying  wooden  blocks  on  roads 
and  streets;  Samuel  B.  F.  Morse,  electric  telegraph;  John 
Ames,  Springfield,  Mass,  a  machine  for  making,  ruling,  and 
cutting  paper;  Norman  T.  Winans  and  Thadeus  Hyatt,  New 
York,  machine  for  making  splints  for  friction  matches;  and 
Ross  Winans,  Baltimore,  an  improved  method  of  regulating 
the  waste  steam  of  locomotives. 

The  national  expenses  of  the  year  amount  to  $28, 226, 553;  the 
debt  is  $5,125,077;  the  value  of  imports,  $107,641,519;  of  ex 
ports,  $132,085,936. 

1841.  General  Harrison  is  inaugurated  ninth  President  of  the  U.  S. 
(4  March);  he  chooses  the  following  persons  as  members  of  his 
cabinet:  Daniel  Webster,  Mass.,  Secretary  of  State  ;  Thomas 
Ewing,  Ohio,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury;  John  Bell,  Tenn., 
Secretary  of  War;  George  E.  Badger,  N.  C.,  Secretary  of  the 
Navy;  Francis  Granger,  N,  Y.,  Postmaster-General;  John  J. 
Crittenden,  Ky.,  Attorney-General;  issues  a  proclamation  (17) 
convening  Congress  in  special  session  (31  May)  to  take  action 
on  the  state  of  the  currency  and  finances. 

After  an  illness  of  eight  days  the  President  dies  (4  April)  hi 
the  Executive  Mansion ;  Vice-President  Tyler  is  notified  at 
Williams  burg,  and  reaches  Washington,  where  to  dispel  any 
doubt  that  mi^ht  arise  as  to  the  validity  of  his  oath  as  Vice- 
President,  while  acting  as  President,  he  takes  the  oath  as  Chief 
Magistrate  before  Judge  Cranch  (6) ;  the  funeral  of  the  late 
President  takes  place  (7) ;  President  Tyler  makes  no  change  hi 
the  Cabinet, 

The  New  York  Tribune  appears  (10  April)  as  the  avowed 
organ  of  the  Whig  party,  edited  by  Horace  Greeley,  with  the 
Assistance  of  Henry  J.  Raymond;  the  New  Yorker  and  the  Log 
Cabin  are  merged  into  the  Weekly  Tribune  (July),  and  Mr.  Gree 
ley  forms  a  partnership  with  Thomas  MeElrath.  f 

Alexander  McLeod,  a  Canadian,  charged  with  having  partici 
pated  in  the  cutting  out  and  burning  of  the  Caroline,  and  sub 
sequently  charged  with  the  murder  of  Amos  Durfee,  who  was 
on  the  boat  at  the  time  of  the  seizure,  is  taken  from  Lockport,  N. 
Y.,  to  New  York  City  on  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  (May};  th~ 


154  History  of  the  United  States. 

18*1.  British  Government  demands  his  release;  the  case  is  discussed  at 
the  extra  session  of  Congress,  Mr.  Webster  holding  that 
McLeod  should  be  discharged,  and  Mr.  Adams  sustaining  the 
administration;  the  trial  takes  place  at  Utica,  N.  Y.  (Oct.),  at  a 
special  session  of  the  Circuit  Court,  ordered  by  the  Legislature 
for  the  purpose,  and  results  in  the  acquittal  of  the  prisoner. 

Congress  assembles  in  special  session  (31  May):  the  Presi 
dent's  message  reports  the  deficit  in  the  available  funds  in  the 
Treasury  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  Government  for  the  year  at 
nearly  $11,500,000;  John  White,  a  Whig  member  from  Ky.,  is 
elected  Speaker  of  the  House  by  a  vote  of  121  to  84  for  John 
W.  Jones,  Va.,  and  16  scattering ;  the  Senate  likewise  has  a 
Whig  majority;  a  bill  is  introduced  for  the  repeal  of  the  Sub- 
Treasury  law;  it  passes  the  Senate  (9  June)  and  the  House 
(9  Aug.),  and  becomes  a  law  by  the  President's  approval  (13). 

The  President  expresses  a  desire  that  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  be  called  upon  for  suggestions  for  the  establishment 
of  a  bank;  the  House  (3  June)  and  the  Senate  (7)  make  a  call, 
to  which  the  Secretary  responds  (12);  he  proposes  the  incor 
poration  of  a  bank  in  the  District  or  Columbia,  witli  power  to 
establish  branches  only  with  the  assent  of  the  States,  and  to 
be  known  as  the  Fiscal  Bank  of  the  U.  S.  ;  Mr.  Clay  reports  a 
bill  on  the  Secretary's  plan  (21),  which  is  debated  up  to  28  July, 
when,  with  amendments,  the  Senate  passes  it;  the  House 
(6  Aug.)  adopts  it,  and  the  President  (16)  vetoes  it;  a  new  bill 
is  prepared,  to  overcome  the  President's  objections;  the  House 
(23  Aug.)  and  the  Senate  (3  Sept.)  pass  it,  and  the  President 
returns  it  (9)  with  his  veto  ;  these  actions  produce  great  excite 
ment;  all  the  Cabinet  but  Mr.  Webster  resign  (11  Sept.);  the 
same  day  the  Whig  members  of  Congress  hold  a  meeting  and 
appoint  a  committee  to  prepare  an  address  to  the  citizens  of  the 
U.  S.,  which  (13)  is  issued;  the  course  of  President  Tyler  is 
almost  universally  condemned  by  the  Whig  party. 

At  this  special  session  Acts  are  .passed  providing  for  the  dis 
tribution  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  public  lands  among 
the  States,  authorizing  a  loan  of  $12,000,000,  and  establishing 
a  general  bankrupt  law. 

The  vacancies  in  the  Cabinet  are  filled  by  the  appointment  of 
Walter  Forward,  Penn.,  Secretary  of  ttie 'Treasury,  John  Mc 
Lean,  Ohio,  Secretary  of  War;  Abel  P.  Upsheer,  Va.,  Secre 
tary  of  the  Navy;  Charles  A.  Wckliffe,  Ky.,  Postmaster-Gen 
eral;  and  Hugh's.  Legare,  S.  C.,  Attorney-General.  Judge 
McLean  declines  his  appointment,  and  John  C.  Spencer,  N.  Y., 
is  appointed  in  his  place. 

President  Lamar,  of  Texas,  sends  three  commissioners  (18 
June),  under  an  escort  of  nearly  400  citizens,  to  Santa  Fe,  for 
the  purpose  of  opening  trade  with  that  city,  and  establishing 
the  authority  of  the  republic  over  all  the  territories  east  of  the 
Rio  Grande;  being  intercepted  by  a  strong  force  of  Mexicans, 
tfie  entire  party  surrender  (17  Oct.),  and  are  bound  together 
ivith  ropes  and  started  on  the  march  to  Mexico  City,  1,200 
miles  distant;  they  reach  the  capital  (Dec.),  where  they  are 
heavily  chained  and  condemned  to  labor  in  the  streets  as  com 
mon  scavengers. 


History  of  the  United  States. 

1841.  Another  revolution  breaks  out  (Aug.)  in  Mexico,  and  risings 
occur  in  the  capital  and  at  Vera  Cruz,  the  latter  being 
led  by  Santa  Anna;  the  capital  is  bombarded,  a  month's  con 
test  in  the  streets  follow,  and  Bustamente  is  forced  from  the 
President's  office;  a  military  convention  is  held  (Sep.),  and  the 
plan  of  Tacubaya,  for  an  entire  change  in  the  government,  is 
adopted;  Santa  Anna  again  beeomes'President. 

An  abolition  riot  occurs  in  Cincinnati  (Sep.),  and  several 
houses  are  destroyed  by  the  mob. 

The  brig  Creole  leaves  Richmond  for  New  Orleans  (Oct.), 
with  135  slaves  on  board;  a  mutiny  occurs  (7  Nov.),  in  which  a 
part-owner  of  the  slaves  (Ho well)  is  killed,  and  several  of  the 
crew  are  injured;  the  slaves  take  the  brig  to  Nassau,  New 
Providence;  the  British  magistrates  and  the  U.  S.  consul  hold 
an  investigation;  nineteen  of  the  slaves  are  imprisoned  by  the 
local  authorities  for  the  mutiny  and  murder;  a  demand  by 
our  consul  that  they  be  surrendered  to  be  sent  to  the  U.  S. 
for  trial  is  refused. 

Theodore  R.  Timby  constructs  a  model  of  a  revolving  iron 
tower  for  harbor  defense. 

Among  the  495  U.  S.  patents  granted  this  year  are  one  to 
Edwin  M.  Chaffee,  Cambridgeport,  Mass.,  for  the  manufacture 
of  balls  of  India-rubber,  and  one  to  Samuel  Slocum,  N.  Y.,  for 
a  machine  for  sticking  pins  in  papers. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $31,787,530; 
the  debt  is  $6,737,398;  the  value  of  imports  $127,946,117;  and 
of  exports  $121,851,803. 

1842.  Mr.  Adams  presents  to  the  Senate  (24  Jan.)  a  petition,  signed  J:y 
citizens  of  Haverhill,  Mass.,  for  the  adoption  of  measures 
peaceably  to  dissolve  the  Union,  and  moves  its  reference  to  a 
select  committee  with  instructions  to  report  the  reasons  why 
the  prayer  should  not  be  granted;  Mr.  Gilmer  offers  a  resolu 
tion  of  censure  upon  Mr.  Adams  for  presenting  such  a  peti 
tion;  Mr.  Marehall  offers  a  substitute  declaring  Mr.  Adams' 
action  the  deepest  indignity  to  the  House  and  the  people;  a 
violent  debate  ensues  to  7  Feb.,  when  the  resolutions  are  laid 
on  the  table  and  the  reception  of  the  petition  refused. 

The  Secretary  of  State  (Mr.  Webster)  instructs  our  minister 
to  England  (Mr.  Everett,  29  Jan.)  to  present  the  case  of  the 
slaves  "on  the  Creole  to  the  British  Government,  with  a  distinct 
declaration  that  "  if  the  facts  turn  out  as  ^ftated,  our  Govern 
ment  think  it  a  clear  case  for  indemnification;"  the  question 
raises  argument  in  Parliament,  where  Lord  Brougham  dissents 
from  Mr.  Webster's  view;  it  is  agreed  that  there  is  no  author 
ity  to  surrender  the  fugitives,  nor  hold  the  mutineers  in  cus 
tody,  and  orders  are  issued  to  the  British  authorities  at  Nassau 
to  release  them. 

The  House  Committee  on  manuf  actwes  report  (31  March)  that 
the  estimated  expenses  of  the  Government  for  the  current  year 
are  $26,000,000,  which  will  leave  a  deficit  of  about  $14,000,000, 
and  that  some  permanent  provision  for  an  increased  revenue  is 
indispensable;  the  committee  submit  the  draft  of  a  bill  for  a 
revision  of  the  tariff;  while  the  bill  is  pending  a  bill  accom 
panying  the  report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  is  submit 


156  History  of  the  United  States. 

184&  ted  (10  June),  to  extend  to  1  Aug.  next  all  laws  regulating 
duties  existing  and  in  force  on  1  June,  with  a  proviso  that 
nothing  therein  contained  shall  suspend  the  distribution  among 
the  States  of  the  proceeds  of  public  land  sales,  the  first  distri 
bution  being  due  1  July;  the  bill  passes  both  Houses  and  is 
sent  to  the  President  who  (29  June)  vetoes  it,  mainly  because  it 
abrogates  the  provisions  of  the  Compromise  Act,  by  continuing 
the  existing  duties  for  one  month  after  80  June,  when  a  re 
duction  was  to  take  place;  the  tariff  bill  is  taken  up  and  after 
being  amended  is  passed  by  the  House  (16  July)  and  the 
Senate  (5  Aug.),  and  returned  by  the  President  (9)  with  his 
veto;  another  bill,  the  same  as  that  just  passed,  except  that 
the  distribution  clause  is  stricken  out,  is  rushed  through  both 
Houses  (passing  the  Senate  by  one  vote)  and  is  approved  by  the 
President;  an  independent  bill,  repealing  the  proviso  in  the 
Distribution  Act  so  as  to  allow  the  distribution  to  take  place 
notwithstanding  the  increase  of  duties,  is  adopted,  but  is  de 
feated  by  Presidential  retention. 

Lord  Ashburton,  appointed  Minister  Extraordinary  by  Great 
Britain,  for  the  purpose  of  negotiating  an  adjustment  of  the 
north-eastern  boundary  question,  arrives  in  the  U.  S.,  3  April; 
commissioners  appointed  by  the  Legislatures  of  Maine  and  Mas 
sachusetts,  and  by  the  Government  of  the  Province  of  New 
Brunswick,  participate  in  the  important  deliberations:  a  treaty 
of  boundary  is  concluded,  9  Aug.,  ratified  by  Great  Britain,  13 
Oct.,  and  proclaimed  by  the  President,  10  Nov. 

The  President  sends  a  communication  to  the  Senate,  10  May, 
proposing  a  method  of  settling  the  Indian  troubles  in  Florida; 
a  bill  embodying  his  views  is  drawn  up  and  passes  both  Houses; 
it  offers  to  any  head  of  a  family  or  any  single  man  over  18  years 
old,  able  to  bear  arms,  and  making  an  actual  settlement,  one 
quarter  section  of  land  on  conditions  involving  the  improve 
ment  of  the  land;  200,000  acres  are  thus  granted  during  the 
year,  and  the  hostilities  cease.  This  war  lias  cost  about  $20,000,- 
000. 

Lieut.  John  C.  Fremont,  U.S.  Topographical  Engineer,  start0 
from  Choteau's  trading-house,  beyond  the  western  boundary  of 
Missouri,  on  his  first  exploring  expedition  to  the  far  West,  10 
June;  he  has  21  Creole  and  Canadian  voyageurs  with  him, 
besides  Kit  Carson,  guide,  Charles  Preuss,  topographical  assist 
ant,  and  L.  Maxwell,  hunter;  he  takes  his  course  along  the  bed 
of  Platte  river,  through  what  becomes  famous  as  the  South 
Pass,  and  thence  north  to  the  Wind  Kiver  Peak  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains;  the  great  achievement  of  the  expedition,  and  one  of 
the  greatest  feats  ever  accomplished  by  a  traveler,  is  performed 
(15  Aug.)  when  he  ascends  this  noted  peak,  the  highest  of  tl>e 
vast  chain,  and  pi  ants  his  foot  where  never  mortal  foot  had  stood 
before;  the  party  face  homeward  (17  Aug.) by  way  of  the  Loup 
Fork  of  the  Platte  river,  reach  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  17  Oct.,  and 
Washington,  D.  C.,  29;  the  entire  expedition  has  been  replete 
With  hardship,  danger,  and  inestimable  scientific  knowledge, 
and  the  gallant  leader  receives  the  highest  praise  of  his  country's 
legislators,  and  the  cultured  minds  of  the  old  and  new  worlds, 
for  his  phenomenal  achievements. 


History  <^/-  the  United  States.  157 

1842.  The  new  Mexican  Congress  assembles  (June),  and  Santa 
Anna  declares  in  favor  of  a  strong  central  government;   the 
subsequent  proceedings  dissatisfy  him  and  (Dec.)  he  dissolves 
the  Congress  without  any  authority,  and  convenes  an  assembly 
of  notables  in  its  place. 

Work  on  the  construction  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct  in  New 
York  has  proceeded  so  rapidly  that  the  engineers  are  able  to  let 
water  into  the  reservoir  on  Fifth  Avenue  (4  July),  and  the  event 
is  celebrated  by  an  imposing  procession. 

The  sect  of  Adventists  called  Millerites,  from  William  Miller, 
of  Mass.,  who  formulated  the  belief  in  1838,  claim  that  the 
second  appearance  of  Jesus  Christ  on  earth  will  occur  in  Oct.; 
thousands  of  believers  throughout  the  U.  S.  dispose  of  all  their 
property,  attire  themselves  in  white  robes,  and  congregate  on 
the  house-tops  and  in  open  fields  in  anticipation  of  the  event, 
which  they  also  believe  will  embrace  their  own  ascension  to 
glory  with  Him. 

Prof.  S.  F.  B.  Morse  lays  the  first  submarine  telegraph  wire, 
as  an  experiment,  in  New  York  Harbor,  18  Oct.,  anticipating  by 
more  than  a  year  and  a  half  the  construction  of  *the  first  land 
line. 

A  treaty  is  concluded  between  the  U.  S.  and  Mexico  (Dec.), 
for  the  purpose  of  settling  the  claims  of  our  citizens,  which 
amount  to  $2,026,079,independent  of  a  large  number  unadjusted; 
the  first  payment,  $270,000,  the  interest  on  the  sum  awarded,  is 
to  be  made  30  April,  1843,  and  the  whole  is  to  be  paid  in  five 
years. 

Lieut.  Wilkes,  U.  S.  N.,  returns  from  his  exploring  expedi 
tion  to  the  extreme  Southern  Ocean;  he  reports  that  he  has 
sailed  about  90,000  miles,  and  that  he  coasted  along  what  he 
believes  to  be  an  Antartic  Continent,  a  distance  of  1,700  miles; 
the  observations  and  discoveries  made  during  the  long  voyage 
are  pronounced  of  priceless  value  to  the  world  at  large. 

During  the  year,  517  U.  S.  patents  have  been  granted.  The 
most  important  are:  J.  J.  Greenough,  Boston,  for  a  sewing 
machine  (the  first  mechanism  of  its  kind  on  record);  Cullen 
Whipple,  Providence,  R.  I.,  for  a  machine  for  cutting  th  x-ads 
in  wood  screws;  and  William  Becker,  Utica,  N.  Y.,  for  a 
machine  for  manufacturing  from  wood  a  substitute  for  curled 
hair  in  stuffing  cushions. 

The  Mormon  city  of  Nauvoo,  111.,  is  chartered  by  the  State 
Legislature. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $32,936,870 
the  debt  is  $15,028,486;  the  value  of  imports,  $100,152,087;  an-i 
of  exports,  $104,691,531. 

1843.  The  difficulties  in  Rhode  Island  over  an  attempt  to  substitute  a 

State  Constitution  of  government  for  the  Charles  II.  Charter 
are  assuming  a  serious  aspect ;  Thos  W.  Dorr,  who  has  been 
the  most  active  in  promoting  the  change,  and  is  the  leader  of 
the  Suffrage  Party,  is  chosen  Governor  (18  April)  at  a  Conven 
tion  which  frames  and  adopts  a  Constitution,  and  elects  a  Legis 
lature;  the  Law  and  Order  Party  take  similar  action  about  the 
same  time,  electing  Samuel  W.  King  Chief  Magistrate;  both 
parties  meet  (3,  4  May),  and  organize  their  respective  Govern- 


158  History  of  the   United  States. 

L843.  ments  ;  violent  measures  are  taken  by  each  ;  Dorr  leaves  the 
State,  but  returning  (16  May),  his  followers  assemble  under 
arms,  and  undertake  to  seize  the  State  Arsenal;  the  other  part} 
rally  in  its  defense,  and,  aided  by  Government  troops,  prevent 
the  seizure  ;  Dorr,  to  avoid  arrest,  again  leaves  the  State;  the 
Suffrage  Party  make  another  appearance  under  arms,  at  Che- 
pachet,  and  are  joined  (25  June)  by  Dorr ;  the  whole  State  i? 
placed  under  martial  law,  and  the  Dorr  party  are  defeated  and 
their  leader  is  captured;  he  is  tried  and  convicted  of  treason,  and 
sentenced  to  imprisonment  for  life;  the  General  Assembly  pro 
vides  for  another  convention  to  frame  an  acceptable  constitu 
tion. 

The  sentiment  in  favor  of  the  annexation  of  Texas  is  growing 
very  strong,  particularly  in  the  Southern  States  ;  in  Alabama 
the  Legislature  sends  a  petition  to  Congress  favoring  the  project; 
in  Mississippi  the  Legislature  declares  that  protection  to  the 
best  interest  of  the  South  (slavery)  will  be  afforded  by  the  an 
nexation  ;  in  South  Carolina  resolutions  are  proposed  asserting 
that  Texas  is  already  a  part  of  the  Union  ;  a  secret  correspond 
ence  is  carried  on  during;  the  year  between  the  Secretary  of 
State,  Mr.  Everett,  our  Minister  to  England,  Mr.  Thompson, 
Minister  to  Mexico,  Mr.  Murphy,  our  Charge  in  Texas,  Mr.  Van 
Zandt,  Texan  Charge  at  Washington,  and  others,  concerning  the 
scheme  and  the  conditions  to  be  imposed  previous  to  the  con 
summation  of  the  Act ;  in  his  message  (Dec.)  the  President 
intimates  a  disposition  to  interpose  by  force  of  arms  to  put  an 
end  to  the  war  between  Mexico  and  Texas,  and  says  that  the 
U.  S.  has  an  immediate  interest  in  the  matter. 

The  results  of  Lieut.  Fremont's  first  expedition  are  so  unex 
pected,  and  his  success  so  extraordinary  that  the  Government 
sends  him  on  a  second  one;  he  is  expressly  charged  to  connect 
the  exploration  with  the  surveys  of  the  Pacific  Coast  by  Capt. 
Wilkes,  U.  S.  Navy,  so  as  to  give  a  connected  survey  of  the 
interior  of  our  continent :  hi's  second  party  number  39,  and 
include  the  most  trusty  ot  his  first  squad;  he  proposes  this  time 
to  go  up  the  valley  of  the  Kansas  River,  to  the  head  of  the  Ar 
kansas  River,  and  to  some  pass  in  the  mountains,  if  any  can  be 
found,  at  its  source,  in  order  to  lay  out  a  new  and  more  pleasant 
road  to  Oregon  and  California ;  the  party  leave  the  town  of 
Kansas,  29  May  ;  after  traveling  over  1,700  miles  he  comes  in 
sight  of  what  he  calls  an  Inland  Sea  (G  Sept.),  subsequently 
known  as  the  Salt  Lake  ;  the  party  reach  Fort  Vancouver,  on 
the  Columbia  River,  the  appointed  terminus  of  his  journey,  4 
Nov.;  six  days  later  they  start  on  their  homeward  journey,  in 
which  "he  contemplates  a  circuit  to  the  south  and  south-east, 
and  the  exploration  of  the  great  basin  between  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains  and  the  Sierra  Nevada. 

Daniel  Webster  resigns  the  Secretaryship  of  State  (May);  the 
President  appoints  Hugh  S.  Legare  to  succeed  him  (June) ;  on 
the  sudden  death  of  Mr.  Legare,  while  attending  the  Bunker 
Hill  celebration  (17),  the  President  calls  Abel  P.  Upshur  to  the 
Department  of  State. 

In  Mexico  the  Assembly  of  Notables,  convened  by  Santa 
Anna's  order,  draw  up  a  new  constitution,  known  as  the  bases 


ojr  tne  United  States.  159 

1843.  of  political  organization  of  tne  Mexican  Republic,  and  (13  June) 
proclaim  it;  by  it  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  is  to  be  protected 
to  the  exclusion  of  all  others;   the  President  is  to  be  elected  for 
five  years ;  the  rights  of  citizenship  can  only  be  enjoyed  by 
those  who  have  an  annual  income  of  at  least  $200  ;  the  first 
Congress  of  the  new  Government  is  to  assemble  in  Jan.  next. 

The  completion  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  at  Boston,  is 
celebrated  with  a  grand  demonstration  (17  June);  the  President 
and  his  Cabinet  participate,  and  Daniel  Webster  delivers  one 
of  the  greatest  orations  of  his  life. 

A  Liberty  Party  National  Convention  at  Buffalo  (30  Aug.) 
nominates  J.  G.  Birney  and  Thomas  Morris. 

The  Old  School  and  New  School  branches  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  enter  upon  their  careers  as  distinct  denominations;  their 
relative  strength  is  :  Old  School,  1,434  ministers,  2,092  congre 
gations;  New  School,  1,263  ministers,  1,496  congregations. 

The  Wesleyan  Methodist  Church  is  organized  as  an  inde 
pendent  denomination  at  Utica,  N.  Y. ;  it  agrees  in  theology 
and  internal  discipline  with  the  elder  body,  but  excludes  the 
Episcopacy  and  presiding  elders,  and  provides  lay  representa 
tion. 

Screw  propulsion  is  introduced  into  the  U.  S.  by  the  con 
struction  of  the  Princeton,  a  steamship  classed  as  a  second- 
rate  sloop-of-war  ;  she  was  built  by  Capt.  Ericsson,  and  is  the 
first  screw  steam  war-vessel  ever  built. 

The  U.  S.  Patent  Office  grants  531  patents  during  the  year; 
among  them  are  one  to  Benjamin  Brandreth,  N.  Y.,  for  an  im 
provement  in  making  vegetable  drugs  and  pills;  to  Napoleon  E. 
Guerin,  N.  Y.,  for  a  machine  for  hatching  chickens  by  artificial 
heat ;  to  John  M.  and  Lyman  Rollings  worth,  Boston,  for  a 
method  of  making  paper  from  manilla  grass;  and  to  Enos  Wilder 
for  the  construction  of  a  safe  of  heavy  iron  plates,  filled  with 
hydrated  plaster  of  Paris  ;  this  is  the  first  safe  that  is  able  to 
stand  the  test  of  a  big  fire. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $12,118,105; 
the  debt  is  $27,203,450  ;  the  value  of  imports,  $64,753,799;  and 
of  exports,  $84,346,480. 

1844.  Lieut.  Fremont  reaches  the  first  waters  of  the  great  basin  which 

has  the  Wahsatch  and  Bear  River  Mountains  for  its  eastern, 
and  the  Sierra  Nevada  for  its  western  rim,  a  sheet  of  green 
water  some  20  miles  broad  (10  Jan.);  at  first  he  believes  it  to  be 
Mary's  Lake,  but  subsequently  concludes  it  is  an  unknown 
body  of  water,  and  names  it  Pyramid  Lake;  he  comes  in  sight 
of  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento  (6  Feb.),  and  encamps  (20)  on 
the  summit  of  the  pass  in  the  dividing  ridge,  1,000  miles  by 
traveled  road  from  the  Dalles  of  the  Columbia ;  this  point  is 
2,000  feet  higher  than  the  South  Pass  in  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and  many  peaks  rise  several  thousand  feet  higher  around  him; 
Capt.  Slitter's  fort,  on  the  Sacramento  River,  is  reached  (6 
March),  and  a  few  days  are  given  up  to  rest ;  resuming  the 
journey  (34)  Fremont  proposes  to  avail  himself  of  the  pass  at 
the  head  of  the  San  Joaquin  River,  500  miles  south  of  Sutter's 
Fort,  and  thence  to  cross  the  rim  of  the  great  basin,  so  as  to 


^  History  of  the   United  States. 

1844.  reach  the  head  of  the  Arkansas  river  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
mountains ;  on  23  May  he  reaches  Utah  Lake,~  finding  himself 
at  the  end  of  eight  months  on  the  same  sheet  of  wafer  he  left 
in  Sept.  previous,  the  Utah  being  the  southern  limb  of  the  Great 
Salt  Lake,  of  which  he  is  now  able  to  lix  the  points  of  its 
northern  and  southern  extremities  ;  the  party  reach  St.  Louis 
(6  Aug.)  and  disband. 

Charges  of  sedition  and  disloyalty  having  been  made 
against  the  new  Christian  sect  at  Nauvoo,  which  had  rap 
idly  grown  and  now  numbered  over  16,000  persons,  Joseph 
Smith,  his  brother,  Hyram  Smith,  John  Taylor,  and  William 
Richards  voluntarily  surrender  themselves  to  stand  trial  on 
the  charges,  at  the  suggestion  of  Governor  Ford,  who  prom 
ises  them  protection.  He  places  a  guard  over  them  in  the 
Carthage  jail,  and  the  guard,  27  June,  assassinate  Joseph 
Smith  and  Hyram  Smith.  Taylor  is  seriously  wounded  and 
Richards  escapes.  Brig-ham  Young  succeeds  Joseph  Smith, 
and  to  escape  the  religious  persecution  of  the  States,  the 
Mormons  start  out  under  his  leadership  to  make  a  home 
for  themselves  in  the  great  American  desert  on  the  shores 
of  the  recently  explored  great  Salt  Lake.  There  they  build 
the  city  of  Salt  Lake. 

The  new  Mexican  Congress  assembles  (Jan.),  and  votes  a 
contribution  of  $4,000,000,  with  which  to  prosecute  a  war 
against  Texas  ;  the  opposition  to  Santa  Anna  is  increasing 
rapidly  throughout  the  country  ;  Congress  reassembles  (Dec. 
7),  when.  Gen.  Herrera,  the  constitutional  leader,  is  appointed 
provisional  President,  and  a  new  ministry  is  formed  ;  gre;it 
rejoicings  follow  the  overthrow  of  Santa  Anna's  Government. 

The  President  and  several  members  of  the  Government  and 
their  families  make  an  excursion  on  the  Princeton  down  the 
Poti>^ac  (28  Feb.),  to  witness  the  trial  of  a  new  gun;  on  the 
second  discharge  it  bursts  and  kills  several  persons,  including 
Mr.  Up^hur,  Secretary  of  State,  and  Mr.  Gilmer,  Secretary  of 
the  Navy;  the  vacancies  thus  caused  are  tilled  by  the  appoint 
ments  of  John  C.  Calhoun,  Secretary  of  State,  and  John  Y. 
Mason,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

Alleged  spirit-rappings  are  manifested  to  the  Fox  family, 
Hydeville,  N.  Y.,  81  March. 

A  treaty  is  concluded  (12  April)  by  John  C.  Calhoun,  Secre 
tary  of  State,  on  the  part  of  the  U.  S.,  and  Isaac  Van  Zandt 
and  J.  Pinckney  Henderson,  on  the  part  of  Texas,  for  the 
annexation  of  the  Republic;  if  is  sent  to  the  Senate  (22)  and 
rejected  (8  June). 

The  National  Whig  Convention  assembles  at  Baltimore  (1 
May),  with  Ambrose  Spencer,  N.  Y.,  President;  a  resolutior 
declaring  Henry  Clay,  of  Ky.,  to  be  unanimously  nominated 
for  the  Presidency  is  carried  by  acclamation;  Theodore  Freling- 
huysen,  N.  J.,  is  nominated  for  Vice-President. 

The  National  Democratic  Convention  meets  at  Baltimore  (2^ 
May);  Mr.  Van  Buren  has  a  majority  on  the  first  ballot,  but  a 
majority  of  two-thirds  is  required  to  nominate;  after  the  eighth 
ballot  his  name  is  withdrawn,  and  on  the  ninth  the  vote  is 


History  of  the  VnitecK  States.  161 

1844.  unanimous  for  James  K.  Polk;  Senator  Silas  Wright,  N.  Y.,  is 
nominated  for  Vice-President,  but  declines,  and  (28)  George  M. 
Dallas,  Penn.,  is  chosen. 

Caleb  Gushing  and  Tysing  conclude  a  treaty  (3  July)  between 
the  U.  S.  and  China,  opening  a  number  of  ports  to  American 
trade  and  residence. 

Messrs.  Polk  and  Dallas  are  elected  (Nov.)  President  and 
Vice-President  respectively,  having  170  electoral  votes  each  to 
105  for  Messrs.  Clay  and  Frelinghuysen;  the  popular  vote  for 
Polk  is  1,335,834,  and  for  Clay,  1,297,033. 

Bills  are  introduced  (Dec.)  in  Congress,  to  provide  for  the 
annexation  of  Texas,  and  the  establishment  of  a  Territorial 
Government  in  Oregon. 

During  the  year,  396,790  pounds  of  silk,  valued  at  $1,400,000, 
are  raiser1  in  the  U.  S. 

Among  the  502  U.  S.  patents  granted  during  the  year,  are,  one 
to  Charles  Goodyear,  for  corrugating  or  shirring  India-rubber 
goods,  and  one  to  William  P.  Ketcham,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  for  a 
mowing  or  reaping  machine. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $33,642,010; 
the  debt  is  $24,748,188;  the  value  of  imports,  $108,435,035;  and 
of  exports,  $111,200,046. 

1845.  Several  resolutions  are  introduced  (Jan.)  into  Congress  for  the 

annexation  of  Texas;  a  joint  resolution,  which  excites  a  great 
debate  in  the  Senate,  beginning  13  Feb.,  is  adopted  therein  (27) 
and  in  the  House  (28),  and  is  signed  by  the  President,  1  March. 

Constitutions  for  State  Governments  having  been  presented 
by  the  Territories  of  Florida  and  Iowa,  Acts  are  passed  for  their 
admission  as  States  into  the  Union,  and  signed  by  the  President, 
3  March. 

In  the  closing  days  of  President  Tyler's  administration,  an 
Act  is  passed  establishing,  as  a  uniform  time  for  choosing  Presi 
dential  electors  in  all  the  States,  the  Tuesday  next  after  the  first 
Monday  of  November;  also,  one  reducing  postage  to  five  cents 
on  single  letters  carried  not  exceeding  300  miles;  over  that  dis 
tance,  ten  cents. 

James  K.  Polk  is  inaugurated  tenth  President  of  the  U.  S.,  4 
March;  in  his  inaugural  Message,  he  declares  his  opposition  to 
national  banks  "  and  other  extraneous  institutions,  to  control  or 
strengthen  the  Government,"  and  pronounces  in  favor  of  a 
tariff  for  revenue  merely,  but  so  adjusted  as  to  afford  inciden 
tal  protection  to  home  industry. 

The  new  Cabinet  is  constituted  as  follows  :  James  Buchanan, 
Penn.,  Secretary  of  State;  Robert  J.  Walker,  Miss.,  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury;  William  L.  Marcy,  New  York,  Secretary  of 
War;  George  Bancroft,  Mass.,  Secretary  of  the  Navy;  Cave 
Johnson,  Tenn.,  Postmaster-General;  John  Y.  Mason,  Va.,  At 
torney-General. 

Mr.  Almonte,  the  Mexican  Minister,  protests  (6  March)  against 
the  admission  of  Texas  as  a  State,  gives  notice  of  a  termination 
of  his  mission,  and  asks  for  his  passports. 

A  large  portion  of  the  city  of  Pittsburg,  Penn.,  is  (10  April) 
destroyed  by  fire;  the  loss  on  1,100  buildings,  with  then-  con 
tents,  is  estimated  at  $10,000,000. 


162  History  of  the   United  States. 

1845.  The  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  Slave- 
holding  States,  acting  under  the  friendly  "Plan  of  Separation," 
declare  (1  May),  at  a  convention  at  Louisville,  K'y.,  the  jurisdic 
tion  previously  exercised  by  the  General  Conference  entirely 
dissolved,  and  establish  a  separate  ecclesiastical  connection  undei 
the  title  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. 

President  Herrera,  of  Mexico,  issues  a  proclamation  (4  June) 
declaring  the  rights  of  Mexico  in  Texas,  and  his  determination 
to  defend  them  at  all  hazards;  on  the  same  day,  President 
Jones,  of  Texas,  issues  a  proclamation  asserting  that  Mexico 
will  agree  to  Texan  independence  if  her  separate  existence  is 
maintained;  the  Texan  Congress  meets  (16),  and  the  President^ 
submits  the  annexation  resolutions  of  the  U.  S.  and  the  treaty 
proposed  by  Mexico;  a  convention  of  the  people  of  Texas  is 
held,  4  July,  and  the  act  of  annexation  is  consummated  by  an 
acceptance  of  our  Government's  terms. 

Ex-President  Andrew  Jackson  dies  (8  June)  at  the  Hermit 
age,  aged  78  years. 

President  Polk,  anticipating  that  the  annexation  of  Texas 
will  lead  to  hostilities  on  the  part  of  Mexico,  orders  (July)  Gen. 
Zachary  Taylor,  then  in  command  of  troops  in  the  southwest, 
to  proceed  to  Texas  with  his  troops  and  take  a  position  as  near 
the  Rio  Grande  as  prudence  will  allow;  this  army  of  occupation 
aggregates  1,500  men;  while  Gen.  Taylor  is  marching  to  Texas, 
a  squadron  of  naval  vessels,  under  command  of  Commodore 
Conner  is  ordered  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  protect  American 
interests  there;  Gen.  Taylor  selects  Corpus  Christi,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Neuces,  the  extreme  western  settlement  made  by 
the  Texans,  for  his  camp,  and  goes  into  quarters  (Sep.). 

Considerable  excitement  prevails  in  official  circles  on  the 
Oregon  question;  in  1818,  it  was  agreed  between  the  U.  S.  and 
Great  Britain,  that  each  nation  should  enjoy  equally  the  privi 
leges  of  all  the  bays  and  harbors  on  the  coast  for  ten  years;  in 
1827,  this  agreement  was  renewed  for  an  indefinite  period,  with 
the  proviso  that  either  party  might  rescind  it  by  giving  the 
other  party  one  year's  notice;  negotiations  have  been  carried  on 
between  the  two  Governments  for  a  settlement  of  the  dispute, 
but  as  no  agreement  is  apparent  they  are  now  abandoned;  pre 
parations  like  those  for  war  are  said  to  be  in  progress  in  Eng 
land,  while  here  the  cry  of  the  administration  is,  "  the  whole  of 
Oregon  or  none;  "  in  his  Message  (Dec.),  the  President  recom 
mends  that  the  year's  notice  be  given  to  Great  Britain,  as  a  step 
toward  bringing  the  question  to  an  issue,  and  a  resolution  is 
adopted  in  Congress  accordingly. 

The  President  informs  Congress  (Dec.)  that  Mexico  has  paid 
but  three  of  the  twenty  quarterly  instalments  of  indemnity 
money,  and  that  seven  of  the  remaining  seventeen  are  now  due; 
claims  of  more  than  $3,000,000,  left  undecided  by  the  original 
commission,  have  since  been  recognized  by  a  treaty  which  has 
been  ratified  by  our  Government  but  not  yet  by  Mexico;  Mexico 
agrees  to  renew  diplomatic  relations,  and  Mr.  Slidell,  La.,  ha^ 
been  sent  there  to  settle  all  existing  difficulties. 

Fremont,  now  a  Captain  by  brevet,  starts  on  his  third  expedi 
tion,  having  for  ita  object  the  survey  of  Oregon  and  California^ 


History  of  the  United  States.  163 

1845.  he  advances  westward  to  the  pass  of  the  Cascades,  where  the 
Columbia  traverses  the  mountains  which  form  the  northern 
extremity  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  explores  that  chain  south 
ward  in  the  depth  of  winter,  passing  over  the  last  culminating 
ridge,  and  descending  into  the  low  country  watered  by  the  Sac 
ramento. 

Elias  Howe  completes  his  first  sewing  machine. 

The  most  important  of  the  502  patents  granted  this  year  is 
one  to  E.  B.  Bigelow,  for  a  loom  for  weaving  carpets. 

Congress  ratifies  the  Chinese  treaty  negotiated  by  Caleb 
Gushing. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $30,490,408; 
the  debt  is  $17,093,795;  the  value  of  imports,  $117,254,564;  and 
of  exports,  $114,646,606. 

1846.  In  pursuance  of  orders  from  the  Secretary  of  War  (13  Jan.),  to 
advance    from  Corpus  Christi  to  a  point  on  the  Rio  Grande 
opposite  the  city  of  Matamoras,  because  it  was  believed  Mexican 
troops  were  gathering  there  for  an  invasion  of  Texas,  General 
Taylor  begins  the  march  early  in  March,  and  camps  at  Point 
Isabel,  on  the  coast,  28  miles  from  Matamoras  (25);  he  is  im 
mediately  notified  by  the  Mexican  authorities  that  he  is  on 
foreign  soil;  leaving  his  stores  there  with  "Major  Monroe  and  a 
force  of  450  men,  he  pushes  the  remainder  of  his  army  (28)  to 
the  bank  of  the  Rio  Grande,  where,  under  the  superintendence  of 
Capt.  Mansfield,  he  erects  a  fort  large  enough  to  accommodate 
2,000  men,  and  names  it  Fort  Brown,  in  honor  of  Major  Brown, 
who  is  placed  in  command  there;  the  Mexican  commandant 
fires  the  custom-house  and  other  buildings  at  Point  Isabel,  on 
the  approach  of  our  fleet. 

Another  revolution  in  Mexico  removes  Gen.  Herrera  from  the 
Presidency  and  places  Gen.  Paredes  in  power;  he  sends  Gen. 
Ampudia  to  Matamoras  with  a  larg-e  force  to  drive  the  Americans 
beyond  the  Neuces;  reaching  the  city  (11  April),  Ampudia  notifies 
Gen.  Taylor  the  next  day  to  withdraw  his  troops  within  24 
hours;  Taylor  refuses,  and  Ampudia,  failing  to  carry  out  his 
instructions,  is  superseded  by  Gen.  Arista,  commander-in-chief 
of  the  northern  division  of  the  Mexican  army  (24). 

A  force  of  Mexicans  cross  the  river  above  and  below  the 
American  camp,  cutting  off  communication  between  Gen.  Tay 
lor  and  his  stores  at  Point  Isabel;  Capt.  Ker,  with  a  squadron  of 
dragoons,  is  sent  to  reconnoitre  between  the  camp  and  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  while  another  squadron,  under  Capt.  Thornton,  is 
sent  above  for  the  same  object;  the  former  returns  without  hav 
ing  seen  a  hostile  force,  but  the  latter  are  suddenly  surrounded 
(24  April)  by  a  large  body  of  Mexican  infantry  and  cavalry, 
and  after  a  skirmish  in  which  sixteen  Americans  are  killed,  the 
remainder  are  made  prisoners;  this  is  the  first  engagement  and 
the  first  shedding  of  blood  in  the  Mexican  war. 

Gen.  Taylor  leaves  Fort  Brown,  garrisoned  with  a  regiment 
of  infantry  and  t\vo  companies  of  artillery  (1  May),  and  marches 
the  remainder  of  his  army  to  Point  Isabel,  then  threatened  by 
a  force  of  1,500  Mexicans;  the  Mexicans  bombard  Fort  Brown 
(3),  but  the  Americans  silence  their  batteries;  another  attack, 
with  reinforcements,  is  made  (6),  during  which  Major  Brown  is 


164  History  of  me  United  States. 

1846.  mortally  wounded;  the  signal  (heavy  guns)  is  given  to  warn  Gen, 
Taylor  of  the  attack,  and  Capt.  Hawkins  takes  command. 

Hearing  the  signal,  Gen.  Taylor  leaves  Point  Isabel  (7),  with 
a  little  over  2,000  men,  to  the  relief  of  the  garrison;  he  encoun 
ters  a  Mexican  army,  6,000  strong,  under  Arista,  drawn  up  on 
the  prairie  ot  Palo  Alto  (8),  and  gives  them  battle;  the  action 
lasts  five  hours;  the  Mexicans  are  unable  to  stand  the  destruc 
tive  fire  of  Ring-gold's,  Churchill's,  Duncan's,  and  Ridgeley' •; 
batteries,  and  fall  back;  Arista  fails  to  maintain  the  battle,  am' 
at  dark  the  enemy  give  way  and  flee;  the  American  loss  ii 
4  men  and  8  officers  killed,  with  37  wounded;  and  the  Mexican, 
200  killed,  with  400  wounded. 

On  the  following  day  (9),  the  victorious  Americans  movo 
toward  Fort  Brown;  early  in  the  evening  they  discover  th<> 
enemy  drawn  up  in  battle  array  in  the  ravine  of  Resaea  de  la 
Palma;  a  vigorous  action  immediately  ensues;  Capt.  May  dis 
tinguishes  himself  by  leading  a  charge  upon  the  enemy's  artil 
lery  and  capturing  it,  along  with  Gen.  La  Vega,  its  commander; 
the  infantry  are  ordered  to  charge  the  entire  Mexican  line;  th  j 
Mexicans  resist  stubbornly  for  a  while,  but  soon  become  panic- 
stricken,  and  precipitately  flee;  the  Americans  capture  eight 
pieces  of  artillery,  several  standards,  large  military  stores,  and 
over  100  prisoners,  and  lose  in  killed  and  wounded  110,  while 
the  Mexican  loss  is  estimated  at  1,000;  Fort  Brown  sustains  a 
bombardment  for  160  hours  before  Gen.  Taylor  reaches  it;  he 
crosses  the  Rio  Grande,  drives  the  Mexican  troops  from  Mata- 
moras,  and  takes  possession  of  the  city  (18). 

Early  in  the  spring,  Capt.  Fremont  leaves  his  companions  in 
the  valley  of  the  San  Joaquin,  and  starts  alone  for  Monterey,  the 
capital  of  Upper  California;  when  near  the  city,  his  advance  is 
checked  by  a  detachment  of  Mexican  troops  who  order  him  to 
quit  the  country  immediately;  he  refuses,  seeks  his  men,  and, 
retiring  to  the  summit  of  Hawk's  Peak,  erects  a  rude  fort,  over 
which  he  hoists  the  American  flag;  after  remaining  here  a  brief 
spell,  he  resumes  his  journey  up  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento 
into  Oregon;  there  he  is  surprised  by  a  secret  messenger  from 
the  Secretary  of  War,  notifying  him  of  the  trouble  with  Mexico, 
and  asking  him  to  watch  the  Government's  interests  in  Califor 
nia;  he  at  once  returns  to  California  (June),  arouses  all  tho 
American  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  San  Francisco  Bay,  captures 
a  Mexican  fort  and  garrison,  9  cannon  and  250  muskets,  at 
Sonoma  Pass  (15),  and  advancing  to  Sonoma,  defeats  the  Mexi 
can  Gen.  Castro,  driving  the  Mexicans  from  that  region;  tho 
American  Californians,  under  his  leadership,  declare  them 
selves  independent  (5  July),  and  place  him  at  the  head  of  their 
affairs;  Commodore  Sloat  bombards  and  captures  Monterey  (7), 
and  Commodore  Montgomery  takes  possession  of  San  Francisco 
(9);  Commodore  Stockton  arrives  (15),  and  with  Fremont's  force 
captures  Los  Angeles  (17  Aug.);  Gen.  Kearney  pushes  forward 
to  that  city,  and  unites  (27  Dec.)  with  Stockton  and  Fremont  for 
the  conquest  of  California. 

While  these  events  are  in  progress,  Congress  declares  (11 
May)  that  by  the  act  of  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  a  state  of  war 
exists  between  that  Government  and  the  U.  S.;  authorizes  tho 


History  of  the  United  States.  165 

President  to  raise  50,000  troops,  and  (13)  appropriates  $10,000,000 
to  cany  on  the  war;  the  Mexican  Congress  declares  war  against 
the  U.  S.  (23);  Santa  Anna  emerges  from  exile  in  Cuba,  is  per 
mitted  by  President  Polk  to  pass  the  blockade,  and,  reaching 
the  city  of  Mexico  (15  Sept.),  declines  the  proffered  Presidency 
and  assumes  the  military  command. 

At  a  council  of  war  (15  May),  the  Secretary  of  War  and  Gen. 
Scott  plan  a  great  campaign  for  the  army  and  navy;  the  Glen, 
proposes  to  attack  Mexico  with  a  fleet  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  to 
invade  New  Mexico  from  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  Old  Mexico 
on  the  North  from  Texas. 

The  President  sends  a  message  to  Congress  (4  Aug.)  propos 
ing  to  open  negotiations  with  Mexico,  and  asking  an  appropria 
tion  of  money  for  the  purchase  of  Mexican  Territory  if  such 
shall  prove  essential  to  peace;  a  bill  appropriating  $2,000,000 
for  the  purpose  is  offered  in  the  House,  to  which  Mr.  Wilmot, 
of  Penn.,  moves  a  proviso,  declaring  that  slavery  shall  never 
exist  in  any  part  of  the  Territory  so  acquired,  but  both  Houses  of 
Congress  adjourn  without  disposing  of  it. 

At  Matamoras,  Gen.  Taylor  receives  reinforcements  and  pre 
pares  to  march  into  the  interior;  he  sends  the  first  division  of 
nis  army,  under  Gen.  Worth,  toward  Monterey  (20  May),  and 
himself  follows,  with  over  6,000  men  (3  Sept.);  the  whole  army 
encamps  before  the  city  (19);  Gen.  Worth  opens  the  attack 
(20);  on  the  following  day  it  is  renewed  and  several  fortified 
heights  are  taken;  the  heights  above  the  Bishop's  Palace  are 
taken  (22);  the  defences  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city  are  evacu 
ated  that  night;  a  frightful  carnage  occurs  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  city,  lasting  all  day  (23);  the  city  is  surrendered  by  Gen. 
Ampudia  to  Gen.  Taylor  (24);  the  American  loss  amounts  to  12 
officers  and  108  men  killed,  39  officers  and  337  men  wounded; 
the  Mexican  loss  is  much  heavier;  an  armistice  of  eight  weeks, 
subject  to  be  revoked  by  either  Government,  is  allowed  by  Gen. 
Taylor. 

Our  Government  orders  the  termination  of  the  armistice  at 
Monterey  (13  Nov.);  two  days  later  Gen.  Worth  takes  posses 
sion  of  Saliillo;  leaving  Gen.  Butler  in  command  at  Monterey, 
Gen.  Taylor  leads  a  march  toward  Victoria,  with  a  view  of 
attacking  Tampico,  on  the  coast,  but,  learning  that  Commodore 
Conner  had  captured  it  (14)  with  his  squadron,  he  returns  to 
Monterey;  Gen.  Wool  joins  Gen.  Worth  at  Saltillo  (20  Dec.), 
and  Gen.  Taylor  takes  possession  of  Victoria  nine  days  later. 

The  difficulties  between  the  U.  S.  and  Great  Britain  on  the 
Oregon  question  are  settled  by  a  new  treaty,  according  to  which 
the  northern  boundary  of  the  Territory  is  to  be  499  X".  lat. 

The  Legislature  of  111.  revokes  the  charter  of  the  Mormon 
settlement  at  Nauvoo,  and  Brigham  Young  leads  an  advance 
party  in  search  of  a  new  habitation. 

Capt.  Biddle,  U.S. Navy,  sent  to  Japan  with  two  vessels  of  war 
to  open  commercial  relations,  is  refused  negotiations. 

During  the  year,  619  U.  S.  patents  are  issued;  the  most  im 
portant  are  to  Elias  Howe  for  a  sewing  machine;  Prof.  Morse, 
for  his  magnetic  telegraph;  Royal  E.  House,  for  a  magnetic 
letter  printing  telegraph;  Benj.  P.  Palmer,  N.  H.,  for  artifi^tel 


166  History  of  the  United  States. 

1848.  legs  and  feet;  and  C.  T.  Jackson  and  W.  T.  G.  Morton,  Boston, 
for  a  combination  of  ether  and  other  substances  to  prevent  pain 
in  surgical  operations. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $27,632,282: 
the  debt  is  $16,750,926;  the  value  of  imports,  $121, 591,797;  and 
of  exports,  $113,488,516. 

"»347.  Col.  Fremont  remains  at  Santa  Barbara  recruiting  until  3  Jan.; 
he  is  informed  (11)  that  Commodore  Stockton  has  retaken  Los 
Angeles;  two  days  later,  Mexican  officers  come  to  his  camp  to 
treat  for  peace;  after  a  long  consultation  an  agreement  is  signed 
(13)  between  Col.  Fremont  and  Andres  Pico,  Chief  of  the 
national  forces  of  California,  at  Couenga,  which  terminates  the 
war  as  far  as  California  is  concerned.  The  trouble  that  has  beeu 
brewing  between  Col.  Fremont  and  Gen.  Kearney,  on  the  ques 
tion  of  their  relative  rank,  now  increases;  Fremont  is  the  choice 
of  Commodore  Stockton  and  the  conquered  Calif ornians  for 
Governor,  a  position  which  Gen.  Kearney  claims  by  reason  of 
superior  rank;  Fremont,  having  acted  with  Stockton,  recognizes 
that  officer  in  preference  to  Kearney.  At  this  time  it  was  uni 
versally  recognized  by  officers  of  the  U.  S.  Army  and  Navy,  that, 
while  \TI  a  foreign  port,  the  commanding'  officer  of  the  Navy 
ranked  above  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Army,  in  which 
case  Stockton  was  Kearney's  superior,  and  Fremont  was  not 
merely  justified,  but  in  duty  bound  to  recognize  that  fact. 
Kearney  goes  to  Monterey  and  in  conjunction  with  Commodore 
Sanbrick  assumes  (8  Feb.)  the  oliice  of  Governor  and  proclaims 
the  annexation  of  California;  Fremont  is  ordered  to  Washing 
ton,  D.  C.,  for  trial  on  charges  preferred  by  Kearney  (22  Aug.), 
where  he  reports  (17  Sept.);  the  trial  opens  2  Nov.,  and  proceeds 
until  after  the  close  of  the  year;  between  the  date  of  reporting 
himself  and  the  opening  of  the  trial,  he  is  presented  by  the 
citizens  of  Charleston,  S.  C.,  with  a  costly  gold  and  silver 
mounted  sword  in  recognition  of  his  eminent  services  in  Oregon 
and  California. 

Gen.  Scott,  ordered  to  the  chief  command  of  all  the  forces  in 
Mexico  and  to  conduct  an  expedition  against  Vera  Cruz,  reaches 
the  Kio  Grande  (1  Jan.),  makes  a  rendezvous  at  Lobos  Island, 
and  lands  an  army  of  13,000  men  near  Vera  Cruz  (9  March); 
the  city  is  at  once  invested  under  the  engineering  direction  of 
Col.  Totten;  Scott  summons  the  town  and  fortress  to  surrender 
(18),  and  meeting  with  refusal,  opens  a  terrific  bombardment 
from  his  batteries  and  the  fleet;  Gen.  Landers  makes  overtures 
for  peace  (26),  and  articles  of  capitulation  are  signed  and 
exchanged  (27);  Gen.  Scott  takes  possession  and  raises  the  U. 
S.  flag  over  the  walls  of  the  city  and  the  strong  castle  of  San 
Juan  d'Ulloa  (29);  5,000  prisoners  and  400  pieces  of  artillery 
are  captured  witii  the  city;  the  Americans  have  about  40  men 
killed,  and  the  same  number  wounded,  while  the  Mexicans 
estimate  their  loss  in  killed  at  1,000. 

Gen.  Taylor  forms  a  camp  of  5,000  men  at  AguaNueva,  near 
Saltillo  (Feb.),  and  learns  (20)  that  SantaAnna,  with  20, 000 troops, 
has  arrived  within  30  miles  of  him;  Taylor  immediately  breaks 
camp  and  falls  back  to  Buena  Vista,  where  he  posts  his  army  in 
a  very  strong  position;  the  Mexicans  appear  on  his  front  (22) 


History  of  the  United  States.  167 

1847.  and  demand  his  surrender-  Taylor  declines;  slight  skirmishing 
follows  :  the  Mexicans  attempt  (23)  to  force  the  American  lines 
by  charging  repeatedly,  but  are  completely  repulsed,  and  after 
fiercely  fighting  throughout  the  day,  the  Americans  remain 
masters  of  the  field;  during  the  night  the  Mexicans  abandon 
camp  and  retreat  towards  San  Luis  Potosi;  the  American  loss 
in  killed  and  wounded  is  723,  that  of  the  Mexicans  2,000. 

Col.  Doniphan,  who,  at  the  head  of  1,000  Missouri  volunteers, 
.  had  forced  the  Nevada  Indians  to  make  a  treaty  of  peace, 
invades  the  Mexican  State  of  Chihuahua,  defeats  a  Mexican 
force  at  Bracito,  and  hastens  to  join  Gen.  Wool;  at  the  Pass  of 
Sacramento  his  little  band  is  confronted  (28  Feb.)  by  4,000 
Mexicans,  whom  he  completely  routs;  pressing  forward,  he 
takes  possession  of  the  important  city  of  Chihuahua  (2  March), 
and  raises  his  flag  on  its  citadel. 

Gen.  Scott  allows  his  army  a  few  days  for  rest,  and  (8  April), 
with  an  advanced  force  under  Gen.  Twiggs,  begins  the  memor 
able  march  upon  the  city  of  Mexico,  via  Jalapa,  Perote,  and 
Puebla;  at  the  mountain  pass  of  Cerro  Gardo  the  army 
encounters  a-Mexican  force  of  from  12,000to  15,000  men,  under 
the  personal  command  of  Santa  Anna;  the  Americans,  num 
bering  8, 500,  boldly  attack  the  strongly  entrenched  enemy  (18), 
and  in  a  few  hours  carry  all  the  batteries  and  entrenchments  by 
storm;  the  Mexicans  flee,  leaving  in  the  hands  of  the  victors 
3,000  prisoners,  from  4,000  to  5,000  stand  of  arms,  and  43 
pieces  of  artillery;  the  Americans  lose  in  the  engagement  431 
in  killed  and  wounded;  this  victory  is  followed  by  the  surren 
der  of  the  city  of  Jalapa  (19)  and  of  Perote,  with  its  fortress, 
on  the  summit  of  the  Cordilleras  (22);  the  ancient  walled  and 
fortified  city  of  Puebla,  the  most  important  in  the  country  after 
the  capital  and  Vera  Cruz,  is  entered  in  triumph  (15  May),  and 
here  a  rest  is  taken,  while  reinforcements  and  supplies  are  being 
forwarded  to  the  heroic  army.  Within  two  months,  this  army  of 
10,000  men  has  taken  many  of  the  most  strongly  fortified  places 
on  the  continent,  and  captured  10,000  prisoners,  700  pieces  of 
artillery,  10,000  stand  of  arms,  and  30,000  sheUs  and  cannon- 
balls. 

Having  received  reinforcements,  Gen.  Scott  arranges  his  avail- 
able  force  of  10,748  men  in  four  divisions,  with  a  cavalry  brig 
ade  (6  Aug.);  Gen.  Worth  is  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
first  division,  Gen.  Twiggs  the  second,  Gen.  Pillow  the  third, 
Gen.  Quitman  the  fourth,  and  Col.  Harney  the  cavalry;  Gen. 
Twiggs  begins  the  march  (7),  the  other  divisions  following,  8, 
9,  10;  the  grand  duel  for  possession  of  the  capital  city  opens 
(20),  when  two  sanguinary  engagements  are  fought;  in  the 
battlo  of  Contreras  4,500  Americans  assault,  and  in  less  than 
twenty  minutes  drive  7,000  Mexicans  from  then-  intrenchments, 
killing  700  and  taking  813  prisoners;  in  the  battle  of  Churu- 
busco,  Antonio  yields  first,  then  Churubusco  itself;  Santa  Anna 
abandons  the  field  and  flees  to  the  capital;  thus  in  one  day,  the 
Americans  defeat  an  army  of  32,000  men,  make  3,600  prison 
ers,  including  eight  generals,  of  whom  two  are  ex-Presidents. 
and  205  other  oflicers,  killed  or  wounded  4,000  of  all  ranks,  and 


168  History  of  the   United  States. 

1847.    captured  37  pieces  of  ordnance,  ut  a  total  loss  of  1,058  in  killed 
and  wounded. 

At  this  juncture,  an  armistice  is  granted  Santa  Anna  (23),  and 
Nicholas  Trist,  a  special  commissioner  from  the  President, 
undertakes  negotiations  with  the  Mexican s  for  peace ;  the  Mexi 
cans  violate  the  terms  of  the  armistice  by  erecting  new  fortifi 
cations,  whereupon  (7  Sept.)  Gen.  Scott  resumes  hostilities;  a 
division  under  Gen.  Worth  (3,200  men)  carries  by  storm  the 
position  of  El  Molino  del  Key,  held  by  Santa  Anna  with  14,000 
men  (8),  inflicting  a  loss  of  3,000  in  killed,  wounded,  land 
prisoners,  at  a  total  loss  of  800.  Now,  only  Chepultepec  stands 
between  the  Americans  and  the  Mexican  capital;  Scott  attacks 
its  lofty  heights  (12)  with  his  batteries,  and  (13)  orders  a  charge; 
the  enemy  are  routed  with  great  slaughter,  Gen.  Quitman  pur 
suing  them  up  to  the  gates  of  the  capital;  Santa  Anna,  the 
Congress,  and  Members  of  the  Government  flee  from  the  city 
during  the  night,  and  6,000  Americans,  with  Gen.  Scott  at  their 
head,  enter  and  take  possession  (14)  without  molestation;  Santa 
Anna  makes  an  effort  to  retrieve  his  misfortunes,  but  is  defeated 
at  Huamantla  and  Atlixco  (18  Oct.),  deserted  by  his  troops, 
stripped  of  all  authority,  and  forced  to  fly  for  his  life;  negotia 
tions  for  peace  are  at  once  begun,  but  no  results  are  obtained 
up  to  the  close  of  the  year. 

Congress  authorizes  the  issue  of  Treasury  Notes  and  the  nego 
tiation  of  a  loan  to  the  amount  of  $28,000*000. 
Indianapolis,  Ind.,  becomes  a  city,  1  May. 
An  Indian  outbreak  occurs  at  Walla  Walla,  Oregon  (Nov.  29), 
during  which  a  number  of  Americans  are  killed  and  over  50 
taken  captive;  troops  are  speedily  raised,  and  the  Indians  are 
thoroughly  routed  after  several  sharp  engagements. 

Of  the  572  U.  S.  patents  granted  during  the  year,  the  most 
important  is  that  to  Eichard  M.  Hoe,  for  a  cylinder  printing- 
press. 

The  existence  of  zinc,  in  paying  quantities,  is  reported  in 
Lehigh  County,  Penn. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $60,520,851; 
the  debt  is  $38,926,623;  the  value  of  imports,  $146,545,638;  and 
of  exports,  $158,648,622. 

1848.  Col.  Fremont  closes  his  defence  before  the  Court-Martial,  26  Jan.; 
a  verdict  of  guilty  is  rendered  (31),  and  the  accused  is  sentenced 
to  be  dismissed  the  service;  the  President  approves  the  sentence, 
but  in  view  of  Fremont's  previous  meritorious  and  valuable 
services,  he  remits  the  penalty  of  dismissal,  and  orders  him  to 
be  released,  to  resume  his  sword,  and  to  report  for  duty;  con 
scious  of  not  having  done  anything  to  merit  the  finding  of  the 
Court,  Fremont  resigns  his  commission  in  the  army  (19  Feb.), 
and  with  a  name  indelibly  associated  with  the  historical,  geo 
graphical,  scientific,  and  political  history  of  his  country,  he 
retires  to  private  life  at  the  age  of  34  years;  in  Oct.  he  sets  out 
on  his  fourth  exploring  expedition,  at  his  own  expense,  and 
with  a  view  of  establishing  a  home  in  the  new  State  he  had  so 
recently  emancipated. 

The  Mexican  Congress  concludes  a  treaty  of  peace  (2  Feb.) 
with  the  U.  S.s  at  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo;  a  long  debate  follows 


History  of  the   United  States.  169 

1848.  its  submission  to  our  Senate,  and  it  is  materially  amended 
and  in  that  form  ratified;  the  Mexican  Senate  adopts  it  (25 
May),  and  President  Polk  proclaims  it,  4  July;  the  treaty  pro 
vides  for  the  cession  of  Upper  California  and  New  Mexico  to 
the  U.  S.,  and  the  payment  by  the  latter  of  $3,000,000  in  hand, 
and  $12,000,000  m  four  annual  instalments,  besides  assuming 
such  debts  as  are  due  by  Mexico  to  American  citizens,  to  the 
amount  of  $3,500,000. 

While  enlarging  the  race-way  of  a  water-wheel  connected 
with  Capt.  John  A.  gutter's  saw-mill  in  the  valley  of  the  Sacra 
mento,  John  Marshall  discovers  virgin  gold  in  the  loose  earth 
(Feb.). 

Ex-President  John  Quincy  Adams  is  stricken  with  paralysis 
in  the  House  of  Representatives,  22  Feb.,  and  dies  the  follow 
ing  day. 

The  National  Democratic  Convention  meets  at  Baltimore,  22 
May;  Andrew  Stevenson,  of  Va.,  is  elected  President,  and  the 
two-thirds  rule  adopted ;  Gen.  Lewis  Cass  is  nominated  for  the 
Presidency  on  the  fourth  ballot  by  179  votes  to  38  for  Mr. 
Woodbury,  33  Mr.  Buchanan,  and  3  Gen.  Worth ;  Gen. 
William  O.  Butler,  of  Ky.,  receives  all  the  votes  cast  for  Vice- 
President. 

The  Territory  of  Wisconsin,  according  to  the  boundary  of 
6  Aug.,  1846,  is  admitted  to  the  Union  as  a  State  by  Act  of  29 
May. 

The  Whig  National  Convention  meets  in  Philadelphia,  7  June; 
John  C.  Morehead,  of  N.  C.,  is  elected  President;  much  con 
fusion  prevails  because  the  mass  of  the  party  favor  the  Wilmot 
Anti-Slavery  proviso;  Gen.  Taylor,  who  is  regarded  as  an 
available  candidate,  refuses  to  pledge  himself  to  Whig  prin- 
•  ciples,  and  the  friends  of  Mr.  Clay  are  determined  upon  his 
nomination;  the  second  ballot  (9)  results  in  the  choice  of  Gen. 
Taylor  by  171  votes,  to  30  for  Mr.  Clay,  63  Gen.  Scott,  and  12 
Daniel  Webster;  Millard  Fillmore,  of  N.  Y.,  is  nominated  for 
Vice-President. 

A  State  Convention  of  Barnburners  is  held  at  Utic?  N.  Y . 
(22,  23  June),  Hon.  Samuel  Young;  presiding;  notwithstanding 
Mr.  Van  Buren's  refusal  to  be  a  Presidential  candidate  again, 
he  is  unanimously  nominated,  with  Henry  Dodge,  of  Wis. 
(who  declines),  for  Vice-President. 

A  National  Convention  of  the  Friends  of  Free  Territory 
assembles  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  (9  Aug.),  nearly  all  the  free  and 
three  of  the  slave  States  being  represented;  Charles  Francis 
Adams,  Mass.,  is  chosen  President,  and  strong  anti-slavery 
resolutions  are  adopted;  Mr.  Van  Buren  receives  the  nomina 
tion  for  President,  with  Mr.  Adams  for  Vice-President. 

By  Act  of  Congress  (14  Aug.),  the  Territory  of  Oregon  is 
formed  out  of  the  French  cession,  with  an  area  of  288,345 
square  miles. 

About  300  buildings  and  property,  valued  at  $1,500,000,  in 
the  business  portion  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  are  destroyed  by  fire, 
9  September. 

Boston  beglnj  using  the  Cochituate  water-works  system,  35 
October. 


170  History  of  the,  United  States. 

1848.  A  canal  connecting  Lake  Michigan  with  the  Illinois  River,  at 
La  Salle,  is  opened  to  navigation. 

A  submerged  cable,  coated  with  gutta-percha  as  an  experi 
ment,  is  laid  across  the  Hudson  River,  being  a  portion  of  the 
telegraph  service  between  New  York  and  Philadelphia. 

A  suspension  bridge,  with  a  span  of  1010  feet  is  completed 
over  the  Ohio  River  at  Wheeling. 

Of  the  Presidential  electors  chosen  (Nov.),  163  give  thuir 
votes  for  Taylor  and  Fillmore,  and  127  for  Cass  and  Butler;  Ex- 
President  Van  Buren,  the  Free  Soil  candidate,  receives  291,455 
popular  votes,  but  no  electoral;  thirty  States  vote  this  year, 
having  290  electors. 

The  number  of  U.  S.  patents  this  year  amount  to  660; 
the  most  important  are,  to  Horace  II.  Day,  for  a  machine  for 
preparing  gutta-percha  fabrics  in  imitation  of  leather;  to  William 
Easby,  for  a  method  of  converting  fine  coal  into  solid  lumps; 
and  to  Henry  P.  Westcott,  for  a  machine  that  will  point  as  well 
as  punch  wooden  pegs. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $60,655.143; 
the  debt  is  $48,526,879;  the  value  of  imports,  $154,998,928;  and 
of  exports,  $154,032,131. 

1849.  Col.  Fremont  readies  Taos,  New  Mexico,  in  Jan.,  after  a  most 

perilous  experience  from  the  time  he  left  Pueblos  on  the  Upper 
Arkansas;  leaving  Socorro,  Rio  del  Norte,  (24  Feb.),  be  makes 
his  way  into  California  to  look  after  his  Mariposas  estate,  and 
while  engaged  in  searching  for  gold,  he  receives  from  President 
Taylor  the  appointment  of  Commissioner  to  run  the  boundary 
line  between  the  U.  S,  and  Mexico.  Gen.  Riley,  the  Military 
Governor  of  California,  establishes  a  judicial  system  (Aug.),  and 
appoints  Peter  H.  Burnet,  Chief  Justice;  lie  also  summons  a 
convention  of  delegates  to  assemble  in  Monterey  to  form  a  State 
Constitution;  the  citizens  forestall  him  by  meeting  at  San  Fran 
cisco,  voting  against  the  admission  of  Slavery  into'the  Territory, 
and  laying  the  ground- work  for  a  Constitution;  the  Monterey 
Convention  is  held  1  Sep.,  and  a  Constitution  excluding  slavery 
forever,  is  adopted;  under  this  constitution,  Edward  Gilbert 
and  G.  H.  Wright  are  elected  delegates  to  the  national  House 
of  Representatives;  the  Territorial  Legislature  meets  at  San 
Jose,  inaugurates  Judge  Burnet  as  Governor,  and  (21  Dec.) 
elects  Col.  Fremont  and  William  M.  Gwin,  U.  S.  Senators. 

California  starts  her  first  banking  institution  at  San  Francisco, 
9  Jan. 

The  U.  S.  S.  Preble,  sailing  (Feb.)  under  orders  to  effect  the 
release  of  a  party  of  American  sailors,  shipwrecked  on  one  of 
the  Japan  Islands,  and  subsequently  imprisoned,  succeeds  only 
after  threatening  bombardment. 

By  Act  of  Congress  (3  March)  Minnesota  is  forme-  as  a  Ter 
ritory  out  of  land  east  of  the  Mississippi  River  ceded  by  Great 
Britain,  which  for  some  years  had  been  a  part  of  the  Ter 
ritories  of  Iowa  and  Wisconsin;  area,  165,491  square  miles. 

A  portion  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans  is  laid  waste  by  an 
unusually  severe  flood  (March),  which  causes  a  damage  of  about 
$60,000,000. 

Gen.  Zachary  Taylor  is  inaugurated  twelfth  President  of  the 


History  of  the  United  States.  171 

1849.  U.  S.,  5  March;  his  Message  is  very  brief,  pledging  himself  to 
enforce  a  strict  accountability  on  the  part  of  all  officers  of  the 
Government,  and  the  utmost  economy  in  all  public  expenditures. 

The  President  selects  the  following  gentlemen  for  his  Cabinet: 
John  M.  Clayton,  Del.,  Secretary  of  State;  William  M.  Mere 
dith,  Penn.,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury;  Thomas  Evving,  Ohio, 
Secretary  of  the  Interior;  George  W.  Crawford,  Ga.,  Secretary 
of  War;  William  B.  Presto*:,  vVa.,  Secretary  of  the  Navy; 
Jacob  Collamer,  Vt.,  Postmaster-General;  Reverdy  Johnson, 
Attorney-General. 

The  rivalry  between  Edwin  Forrest,  the  American  tragedian, 
and  Mr.  Macready,  the  eminent  English  actor,  is  made  the 
occasion  for  a  popular  outbreak  (10  May)  while  the  latter  is 
playing  Macbeth  in  the  new  Astor  Place  Opera  House,  New 
York;  a  mob  surrounds  the  building  and  attempts  to  prevent 
the  performance;  incensed  at  opposition,  threats  are  made  to 
burn  the  building,  and  Mayor  Woodhull  is  compelled  to  call  out 
the  militia;  fair  warning  being  given  and  the  mob  paying  no 
heed  thereto,  the  military  are  ordered  to  fire;  at  the  first  volley 
the  crowd  turns  upon  the  militia,  and  severely  wounds  nearly 
200;  the  rioting  lasts  several  hours,  and  before  it  r  suppressed 
several  hundred  persons  are  killed  and  wounded. 

The  business  portion  of  St.  Louis  is  destroyed  by  fire,  17 
May,  involving  a  loss  of  $3,000,000. 

Father  Theobald  Matthew,  the  great  Irish  Temperance 
Reform-.:-  lands  in  New  York  (June),  and  begins  a  series  of 
public  Ijjiures  remarkable  for  their  grand  results. 

The  Sun,  Herald,  Tribune,  Express,  Journal  of  Commerce, 
Courier,  and  Enquirer,  form  a  syndicate  for  gathering  news, 
under  the  name  of  the  Nevy  York  Associated  Press. 

A  number  of  leading  cities  are  visited  this  summer  by  the 
Asiatic  cholera;  it  is  particularly  virulent  at  New  Orleans,  New 
York,  St.  Louis,  Philadelphia,  Nashville,  Buffalo,  Chicago,  and 
Boston,  the  deaths  in  New  York  alone  numbering  5,071. 

A  great  overland  movement  of  miners,  speculators,  and 
adventurers  sets  in  from  the  eastern  and  northern  States  (Sep.) 
for  the  newly  discovered  gold  mines  of  California. 

Edwin  Booth  makes  his  debut  as  an  actor  at  Boston,  10  Sep. 

Elizabeth  Blackwell  receives  from  the  Geneva  (N.  Y.)  Medi 
cal  College  the  first  doctor's  diploma  granted  to  a  woman  in 
this  country. 

Congress  assembles  (3  Dec.);  the  organization  of  the  House 
is  delayed  for  twenty  days,  during  which  sixty-three  ballots  are 
taken,  before  a  choice  for  Speaker  is  effected;  the  contest  is 
chiefly  between  Robert  C.  Winthrop,  Whig,  Speaker  of  the 
preceding  Congress,  and  Howell  Cobb,  of  Ga.;  the  two  parties 
are  very  evenly  represented,  but  the  Free  Soil  Democrats  cast 
their  vote  for  Mi-.  Wilmot;  after  many  ballots  have  been  taken, 
it  is  determined  to  end  the  contest  by  a  plurality  vote,  and  on 
the  next  ballot  Mr.  Cobb  receives  102  votes;  Mr.  Winthrop, 
99;  scattering,  20,  of  which  Mr.  Wilmot  receives  8. 

The  provisional  Government  of  the  people  of  Deseret  (Mor 
mons)  send  a  memorial  to  Congress,  accompanied  by  a  Constitu* 


172  History  of  the   United  States. 

i849.     tion  and  form  of  State  Government,  asking  admission  as  a 
State,  or,  in  case  of  refusal,  to  be  formed  into  a  Territory. 

During  this  year  1,076  U.S.  patents  are  issued,  the  most  import 
ant  of  which  is  that  to  George  H.  Corliss  for  an  improvement 
in  working  the  valves  of  steam  engines. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $56,386,422; 
the  debt  is  $64,704,693;  the  value  of  imports,  $147^857,439; 
and  of  exports,  $145,755,820. 

350.  A  number  of  Bills  are  introduced  into  Congress  for  organizing 
Territorial  Governments  in  California,  Deseret,  and  New 
Mexico,  and  strong  efforts  are  made  to  prohibit  the  extension 
of  slavery;  at  length  (29  Jan.)  Mr.  Clay  submits  compromise 
resolutions,  proposing  an  amicable  arrangement  of  the  whole 
slavery  controversy;  the  resolutions  are  opposed  by  the  South 
ern  Members,  as  making  no  concession  to  the  South,  and  Mr. 
Calhoun  asserts  that  the  Union  is  in  danger  because  of  the  dis 
content  at  the  South;  Mr.  Webster,  in  a  great  speech,  details 
the  grievances  of  the  North;  Mr.  Bell,  of  Tenn.,  presents  a 
series  of  resolutions  (28  Feb.)  on  the  same  subject,  which  arc 
referred  (17  April)  to  a  select  committee,  of  whom  Mr.  Clay  is 
Chairman;  the  committee  reports,  (8  May)  favoring  the  im 
mediate  admission  of  California,  the  establishment  of  Terri 
torial  Governments,  without  the  Wilmot  proviso,  for  New  Mexico 
and  Utah;  the  enactment  of  laws  to  secure  the  delivery  of 
fugitive  slaves  escaping  into  the  free  States,  and  the  prohibition 
of  "slavery  in ,  the  District  of  Columbia;  the  Utah  Territorial 
Bill  passes  (31  July);  The  Texas  Boundary  Bill  passes,  Senate, 
10  Aug.,  the  New  Mexico  Bill,  Senate,  14;  both  Bills  are  com 
bined  in  the  House,  and  pass  6  Sept.;  the  Bill  to  admit  Califor 
nia,  passes  Senate  13  Aug.;  House  17  Sept.;  the  Fugitive  Slave 
Bill  passes  both  Houses  23  Aug.;  the  Bill  for  prohibiting 
Slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia — the  last  of  the  "Omnibus 
Bill  " — passes  Senate  14  Sept.  and  the  House,  17;  Congress 
adjourns  30  Sept. ;  the  compromise  acts  are  the  chief  features 
of  this  long  Session. 

John  C.  Calhoun  dies  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  31  March. 

A  Convention  assembles  in  Philadelphia,  1  April,  called  for 
the  purpose  of  promoting  the  construction  of  a  national  road 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  through  the  Territories  of  the  U.  S.;  Col. 
Fremont,  too  ill  to  accept  an  invitation  to  be  present,  gives  his 
views  on  the  project  in  a  long  letter;  he  describes  the  country 
vividly,  and  proposes  the  belt  of  country  lying  between  the  38rli 
and  39th  parallels  of  latitude  as  the  most  practicable  for  the 
projected  road. 

Gen.  Lopez,  a  native  of  Cuba,  organizes  an  expedition  in 
New  Orleans,  and  invades  Cuba  (Cardenas,  19  April),  expecting 
to  head  a  revolution  and  wrest  the  island  from  Spain;  failing 
to  receive  the  support  on  the  island  he  had  anticipated,  he 
returns  to  the  U.  S.  and  secretly  begins  preparations  for  a 
stronger  invasion. 

Great  alarm  being  felt  as  to  the  /die  «,f  Sir  John  Franklin. 
an  English  Arctic  explorer,  who  sailed  in  May,  1845,  in  search 
of  a  north-west  passage  from  Europe  to  the  West  Indies,  and 
of  whom  nothing  has  since  been  heard,  Mr.  Henry  Grmnell,  of 


History  of  the   United  States.  178 

1850.  New  York,  at  his  own  expense,  sends  two  ships  in  search  of 
him  (May),  under  command  of  Lieut.  DeHaven,  U.  S.  Navy. 

A  treaty  between  the  U.  S.  and  Great  Britain,  providing  for 
the  establishment  of  a  communication  between  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  Oceans,  by  means  of  a  ship  canal,  to  be  constructed 
by  way  of  the  River  San  Juan  de  Nicaragua  and  either  or  both 
of  the  Lakes  of  Nicaragua  or  Maragua,  to  any  part  or  place  on 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  i|  promulgated  by  the  President,  4  July.  It 
is  known  as  "  the  Clayton-Buhver  Treaty." 

President  Taylor  dies  in  the  executive  mansion,  9  July. 

Vice-President  Fillmore  takes  the  oath  of  office  as  President, 
in  the  presence  of  both  Houses  of  Congress,  10  July;  on  the 
following  day  he  is  succeeded  as  President  of  the  Senate  by 
Senator  King,  of  Ala. 

The  new  President  reconstructs  the  Cabinet  (15  July)  as  fol 
lows:  Daniel  Webster,  Secretary  of  State;  Thomas  Corwin,  of 
Ohio,  Secretary.of  the  Treasury;  Charles  M.  Conrad,  of  La., 
Secretary  of  War;  William  A.  Graham,  Secretary  of  the  Navy; 
Alexander  H.  H.  Stuart,  of  Penn.,  Secretary  of  the  Interior; 
Nathan  K.  Hall,  of  N.  Y.,  Postmaster-General;  John  J.  Crit- 
tenclen,  of  Ky.,  Attorney-General. 

Brigham  Young,  President  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  prophet 
and  revelator  of  the  Mormons,  is  appointed  Governor  of  the 
new  Territory  of  Utah. 

For  the  first  time  in  its  history,  the  Federal  Government 
makes  an  attempt  to  ascertain  the  exact  development  of  the 
productive  industries  of  the  country,  leaving  out  all  establish 
ments  that  do  not  produce  at  least  $500  per  annum;  the  fact  is 
revealed  that  the  capital  invested  in  manufactures  exceeds 
$550,000,000,  and  that  the  annual  product  has  reached  the  sum 
of  |1,019,000,000. 

The  rates  of  postage  are  reduced  to  three  cents  on  prepaid 
single  letters,  for  a  distance  of  3,000  miles,  and  five  cents  if 
not  prepaid;  and  double  these  rates  for  any  greater  distance. 

This  is  a  memorable  year  in  the  operatic  ancle  heatrical  circles 
of  New  York;  Mr.  F.  B.  Conway,  the  English  actor,  makes  his 
appearance  (19  Aug.);  Mile.  Jenny  Lincl  arrives  (1  Sep.),  and 
gives  her  first  concert  in  Castle  Garden,  7;  Teresa  Parodi 
appears  at  the  Astor  Place  Opera  House,  4  Nov.;  and  Mine. 
Ponisi  begins  her  first  engagement  at  the  Broadway  Theatre. 
11  Nov. 

Richard  M.  Johnson,  Vice-President  of  the  U.  S.  with  Presi 
dent  Van  Buren,  dies  at  Frankfort,  Ky.,  19  Nov. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $44,604,718; 
the  debt  is  $64,228,238;  the  value  of  imports,  $178,138,318; 
and  of  exports,  $151,898,790. 

1851.  The  Chevalier  Hulseman,  Austrian  Minister  to  the  U.  S.,  issues 

a  written  protest  against  the  policy  of  the  U.  S.  in  relation  to 
the  action  of  Austria  against  the  Hungarians,  to  which  Daniel 
Webster, 'Secretary  of  State,  makes  a  vigorous  reply,  Jan. 

A  World's  Fair,  held  in  an  enormouslbuilding  of  glass  and 
iron,  erected  in  Hyde  Park,  London,  under  royal  patronage,  is 
opened  by  Queen  Victoria,  1  May. 

4-  large  part  of  the  business  portion  of  San  Francisco,  em- 


174  History  of  the   United  States. 

1851.  bracing  2,500  buildings,  is  destroyed  by  fire,  3  May,  entailing  a 
loss  of  $3,500,000;  a  second  tire,  22  June,  destroys  500  buildings, 
causing  a  loss  of  $3,000,000. 

The  increase  in  the  number  of  States  and  Territories  has  so 
swelled  the  size  of  Congress  that  the  Legislative  halls  are  found 
inadequate  for  the  proper  discharge  of  public  business;  an 
enlargement  of  the  Capitol  building  having  been  authorized, 
the  President  lays  the  corner-stone  of  an  addition,  4  July. 

Gen.  Lopez  renews  the  Cuban  excitement  in  New  Orleans, 
July;  early  in  Aug.,  he  sails  from  that  city  with  nearly  500 
followers,  and  lands  (11)  on  the  northern  coast  of  the  island; 
leaving  Col.  W.  L.  Crittenden,  of  Ky.,  in  command  there,  with 
100  men,  he  proceeds  with  the  remainder  of  his  party  to  the 
interior;  the  Crittenden  party  are  captured,  taken  to  Havana, 
and  executed  (16);  Lopez  is  attacked  (13),  his  followers  desert 
him,  he  is  arrested  (18),  taken  to  Havana,  and  garrotted  (1  Sep.). 

The  Pro-Slavery  Party  in  California  gain  such  an  ascendency, 
that  in  the  fall  elections  Col.  Fremont  is  no  longer  in  the  ma 
jority,  and  a  combination  to  prevent  his  re-election  to  the^U.  S. 
Senate  is  successfully  made. 

Louis  Kossuth,  ex-Governor  of  Hungary,  is  permitted  to 
emerge  from  exile  at  Kutahai,  Asia  Minor,  and  embarks  (1  Sep.) 
on  the  U.  S.  S.  Mississippi,  selected,  according  to  an  Act  of 
Congress,  to  bring  the  noted  general  to  the  U.  S.  ;  he  is 
refused  permission  to  travel  through  France,  and  leaving  the 
the  ship  at  Gibraltar,  where  he  is  handsomely  received,  he 
makes  a  brief  visit  to  London,  sails  for  the  U.  S.  (21  Nov.),  and 
lands  at  New  York  5  Dec. ;  he  is  banquetted  in  New  York,  pre 
sented  to  the  President  at  Washington  (31),  and  to  the  end  of 
his  visit  is  treated  with  marked  distinction. 

An  unprecedented  emigration  to  the  West  sets  in  this  year; 
the  Government  enlarges  the  domain  of  available  agricultural 
land  by  purchasing  several  millions  of  acres  in  Minnesota  from 
the  Upper  and  Lower  Sioux  Indians;  removes  the  Indians  to 
another  reservation,  and  opens  the  rich  wilderness  to  white 
settlers.  * 

Serious  troubles  are  brewing  in  Utah;  Governor  Young  arid 
all  the  Mormon  officers  openly  defy  the  Federal  laws, 
and  endeavor  to  thwart  the  U.  S.  authorities  in  executing 
them ;  remonstrances  are  sent  to  Washington  against 
Brigham  Young's  hostile  conduct  by  Federal  officials,  and  his 
prompt  removal  from  office  is  urged. 

The  rush  to  the  California  gold  mines  is  unabated;  gambling 
and  deeds  of  violence  are  increasing  at  a  fearful  rate;  so  much 
lawlessness  has  been  displayed  in  Sari  Francisco  of  late,  that 
reputable  citizens  have,  in  self  protection,  formed  a  Vigilance 
Committee,  to  rid  the  community  of  the  dangerous  characters 
who  throng  the  streets. 

Another  great  canal  from  Lake  Erie,  extending  from  Toledo 
to  Evans ville,  Ind.,  on  the  Ohio  lliver,  467  miles,  is  completed 
and  opened  to  navigation. 

^       Lola  Montes,  a  dancer  of  European  celebrity,  makes  her  first 
appearance  in  the  U.  S.,  in  New  York,  29  Dec. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $48,476,104; 


History  of  the  United 

1851.  the  debt  is  $62,560,395;  the  value  of  imports,  $216,224,932; 
and  of  exports,  $218,388,011. 

1852.  At  the  close  of  the  Session  of  Congress  (March)  an  appropriation 

is  made  for  the  survey  of  three  routes  to  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
with  the  view  of  obtaining  further  information  as  a  bads  of 
legislation  for  a  national  highway  between  the  Mississippi  val 
ley  and  that  ocean;  as  soon  as  Col.  Fremont,  now  in  Paris, 
hears  of  this  action,  he  determines  to  return,  fit  out  an  expedi 
tion  on  his  own  account,  and  complete  the  survey  of  the  route 
which  he  had  taken  on  his  last  journey,  which  he  believes  the 
only  practicable  route  for  a  national  road. 

The  Austrian  Minister  to  the  U.  S.,  formally  protests  against 
the  reception  of  Louis  Kossuth  by  Congress;  no  notice  being 
taken  of  his  protest  he  retires  from  his  post,  leaving  his  official 
affairs  in  the  hands  of  August  Belmont,  of  New  York. 

A  formal  proposition  for  a  joint  agreement  of  perpetual 
renunciation,  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain,  France,  and  the  U. 
S.  respectively,  of  any  annexation  designs  on  Cuba,  is  presented 
to  our  Government,  23  April;  Edward  Everett,  the  new  Secre 
tary  of  State,  makes  a  lengthy  reply,  1  Dec.,  rejecting  the  over 
ture. 

The  National  Democratic  Convention  is  held  in  Baltimore, 
assembling  1  June;  Hon.  John  W.  Davis,  of  Tnd.,  ex-Speaker 
in  Congress,  is  chosen  president;  the  two-thirds  rule  is  again 
adopted;  several  days  are  spent  in  balloting  for  candidates; 
Franklin  Pierce,  of  N.  H.,  receives  the  unanimous  vote,  on  the 
forty-ninth  ballot,  as  Presidential  nominee,  and  William  R. 
King,  Ala.,  is  nominated  for  Vice-President. 

The  Whig  National  Convention  is  held  in  Baltimore,  begin 
ning  16  Jane;  John  G.  Chapman,  of  Md.,  is  chosen  president; 
on  the  fourth  day  of  the  session  and  on  the  fifty-third  ballot 
the  result  is:  Gen.  Scott,  159;  Millard  Fillmore,  112;  and  Daniel 
Webster,  21,  Gen.  Scott  having  a  majority;  William  A.  Gra 
ham,  of  N.  C.,  is  nominated  for  Vice-President. 

Henry  Clay,  on  account  of  feeble  health,  resigns  his  seat  in 
the  U.  S.  Senate,  to  take  effect  6  Sept.,  but  dies  29  June,  at  the 
age  of  75. 

The  steamboat  Henry  Clay,  plying  on  the  Hudson  River 
between  Albany  and  New  York,  undertakes  a  race  with  an 
opposition  boat,  27  July,  despite  the  protests  of  the  passengers, 
and  when  near  Yonkers,  takes  fire  and  is  burned  to  the  water's 
edge,  involving  a  loss  of  over  seventy  lives  by  drowning  and 
the  flames. 

The  nominating  Convention  of  the  Free  Soil  Democracy  is 
held  at  Pittsburg,  Penn.,  11  Aug.;  John  P.  Hale,  of  N.  H., 
receives  the  nomination  for  President,  and  George  W.  Julian, 
of  Ind.,  that  for  Vice-President. 

Considerable  excitement  is  developed  during  the  summer  by 
the  Canadian  charge  that  American  fishers  are  violating  the 
treaty  of  1818  by  casting  their  nets  within  the  three-mile  limits 
of  the  shores;  the  British  Government  claims  the  right  to  draw 
a  line  from  head  land  to  head  land  of  the  bays  in  its  Canadian 
possessions,  and  to  exclude  Americans  from  the  waters  within 
that  line;  as  an  armed  naval  force  has  been  posted  to  sustain 


1  76  History  of  the  United  States. 


1852. 


this  claim  and  seize  any  American  vessel  that  does  not  comply, 
the  U.  S.  sends  the  Princeton  and  Fulton,  steam  war-vessels,  to 
the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia  to  protect  American  fishermen. 

Daniel  Webster,  Secretary  of  State,  dies  at  Marshfield,  Mass., 
24  Oct.,  aged  70. 

Hon.  Edward  Everett  is  appointed  Secretary  of  State  to  suc 
ceed  Daniel  Webster. 

The  city  of  Sacramento,  Cal.,  is  visited  by  a  fire,  2  Nov., 
which,  burning  over  forty  blocks,  consumes  2,500  buildings, 
mainly  residences,  destroying  property  of  an  estimated  value 
of  over  $5,000,000. 

The  popular  vote  in  the  Presidential  election  gives  Pierce 
1,601,274;  Scott,  1,386,580;  Hale,  155,825;  Pierce  over  Scott, 
814,694;  over  Scott  and  Hale  together,  58,896;  in  the  electoral 
college  Pierce  receives  254  votes,  Scott,  42,  Hale  none. 

Boston  has  adopted  a  method  of  communicating  fire  alarms 
by  means  of  the  magnetic  telegraph. 

Willard  P.  Hall,  of  Mo.,  submits  a  bill  in  the  House  (Con 
gress),  organizing  the  Territory  of  Platte,  comprising  a  vast 
region  westward  of  Missouri  and  Iowa,  13  Dec.,  and  the  bill 
is  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Territories;  Mr.  Atchison,  of 
Mo.,  intimates  (15  Dec.)  that  there  is  a  Southern  combination 
to  prevent  the  organization,  westward  of  the  Missouri,  of  a 
new  Territory  in  which  slavery  will  be  prohibited. 

The  Government  has  begun  the  experiment  of  using  lenses 
instead  of  reflectors  in  its  lighthouses. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $46,  712,  608; 
the  debt  is  $65,130,692;  the  value  of  imports,  $212,945,442; 
and  of  exports,  $209,658,366. 

.  William  A.  Richardson,  of  111.,  from  the  House  Committee  on 
Territories,  to  which  was  referred  Mr.  Hall's  bill  for  organizing 
the  Territory  of  Platte,  reports  (2  Feb.)  a  bill  to  organize  the 
Territory  of  Nebraska,  covering  the  same  region;  in  the  Com 
mittee  of  the  Whole,  the  bill  encounters  strong  Southern 
opposition,  and  (10)  is  reported  from  the  Committee  with  a 
recommendation  that  it  be  rejected;  the  bill  passes  the  House, 
and  going  to  the  Senate  is  laid  on  the  table,  3  March. 

By  Act  of  2  March,  Washington  Territory  is  formed  from 
the  Territory  of  Oregon,  with  an  area  of  193,071  square  miles. 

Franklin  Pierce  is  inaugurated  fourteenth  President  of  the 
U.  S.,  4  March;  hi  his  Message  he  states  that  it  is  unlikely  any 
institutions  of  the  States  will  be  endangered  if  the  Govern 
ment  confines  itself  to  its  constitutional  powers;  he  holds  that 
the  compromise  measures  of  1850  are  strictly  constitutional  and 
to  be  unhesitatingly  carried  into  effect;  and  believes  that 
involuntary  slavery  is  recognized  by  the  Constitution,  and  that 
the  States  where  it  exists  are  entitled  to  efficient  remedies  to 
enforce  the  constitutional  provisions. 

The  President  appoints  the  folio  wing  cabinet  officers:  Wm.  L. 
Marcy,  N.  Y.,  Secretary  of  State;  James  Guthrie,  Ky.,  Secre 
tary  of  the  Treasury;  Robert  McClelland,  Mich.,  Secretary  of 
the  Interior;  Jefferson  Davis,  Miss.,  Secretary  of  War;  James 
C,  Dobbin,  N.  C.,  Secretary  of  the  Navy;  James  Campbell, 


History  of  the   United  States.  177 

1853.     Penn.,  Postmaster-General;  and  Caleb  Gushing,  Mass.,  Attor 
ney-General. 

Vice-Preside nt  William  R.  King  dies  18  April,  aged  68. 

The  Government  sends  four  men-of-war  and  a  supply  ship 
from  Norfolk,  Va.  (May),  the  whole  under  command  of  Capt. 
Ringgold,  U.  S.  Navy,  to  the  eastern  coast  of  Asia,  via  Cape 
Horn,  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  those  regions  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean  which  it  is  believed  will  soon  be  traveled  by  merchant 
men  between  our  Pacific  ports  and  the  East  Indies,  and  the 
whaling  grounds  of  the  Kamtchatka  Sea  and  Behring's  Straits. 

Another  expedition  is  fitted  out  during  the  summer,  consist 
ing  of  seven  men-of-war,  under  the  command  of  Commodore 
Perry,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  a  letter  from  the  President 
to  the  Emperor  of  Japan,  soliciting  the  negotiation  of  a  treaty 
-  of  friendship  and  commerce  between  the  two  nations,  and  the 
opening  of  Japanese  ports  to  American  vessels  for  trade. 

Mr.  Henry  Grinnell  announces  his  wish  to  fit  out  another 
expedition  to  the  Polar  regions  in  search  of  Sir  John  Franklin; 
the  Government  agrees  to  assist  him  and  places  two  war-vesselr 
at  his  service;  these,  under  command  of  Dr.  Elisha  K.  Kane, 
the  Surgeon  of  the  first  expedition,  sail  from  New  York  in 
May;  at  the  same  time  a  similar  expedition  is  despatched  from 
England. 

Under  the  Act  of  Congress  authorizing  surveys  for  the  con 
struction  of  a  railroad  across  the  continent,  four  exploring 
parties  get  under  way  during  the  summer;  one  is  assigned  to 
survey  from  the  upper  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  at  St.  Paul,  to 
Puget's  Sound,  on  the  Pacific;  a  second  is  to  cross  the  Contin 
ent  from  the  Mississippi,  along  the  36  parallel  of  latitude;  a 
third  from  the  same  point  by  way  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  in 
Utah;  while  the  fourth  takes  a  course  from  the  Lower  Missis 
sippi  to  the  coast  of  Southern  California,  at  San  Pedro,  Los 
Angeles,  or  San  Diego;  Col.  Fremont  leaves  Paris  (June)  for 
the  U.  S.,  and  starts  upon  his  fifth  and  last  trans-continental 
expedition,  at  his  own  expense,  with  the  same  object  in  view 
as  the  other  expeditions  (Aug.). 

A  World's  Fair  for  the  exhibition  of  the  industry  of  all 
nations,  is  opened  by  the  President  of  the  U.  S.,  14th  July,  at 
the  Crystal  Palace,  on  Reservoir  Square,  near  the  distributing 
reservoir  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct,  New  York. 

The  Commissioners  appointed  by  the  New  York  Board  of 
Aldermen  (5  Aug.,  1851)  to  examine  and  report  upon  the 
various  sites  proposed  for  a  large  public  park,  express  a  choice 
for  the  tract  of  land  bounded  by  Fifty-ninth  and  One  Hundred 
and  Sixth  Streets  and  Fifth  and  Eighth  Avenues,  about  two 
and  a  half  miles  long  by  half  a  mile  wide,  and  comprising 
776  71-100  acres;  the  report  is  approved,  and  (33  July)  the 
Legislature  passes  an  Act  authorizing  the  purchase  "of  the 
Central  Park,  and  provides  (17  Nov.)  for  the  appointment  of 
five  Commissioners  by  the  Supreme  Court  to  appraise  the  land. 

John  Mitchell,  the  escaped  Irish  exile,  reaches  New  York, 
29  Nov.,  and  is  given  a  grand  reception  in  Brooklyn,  8  Dec., 
and  in  New  York,  19. 


178  History  of  the  United  States. 

1833.  The  first  exploration  of  the  Isthmus  of  Darien  for  a  ship- 
canal  is  made  under  the  direction  of  William  Kennish,  of  New 
York;  the  party  is  sent  out  by  J.  C.  Provost,  Commander  of 
the  British  {Steamship  Virago,  in  pursuance  of  orders  from  the 
Commander  of  the  British  Squadron  in  the  Pacific;  a  portion  of 
the  party  are  murdered  by  Indians,  and  the  survivors  return 
without  practical  results. 

The  first  Session  of  the  Thirty-third  Congress  convenes  5 
Dec.;  Lynn  Boycl,  Democrat,  of  Ky.,  is  elected  Speaker; 
Senator  Dodge,  of  Iowa,  gives  notice  of  a  bill  to  establish  the 
Territory  of  Nebraska  (5),  Introduces  it  (14),  when  it  is  referred 
to  the  Committee  on  Territories,  whose  chairman ,  Mr.  Douglas, 
reports  it  (15)  with  material  amendments. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $54,577,061; 
the  debt  is  $67,340,628;  the  value  of  imports,  $267,978,647;  and 
of  exports,  $230,976,157. 

1854.  Lieut.  Strain,  U.  S.  Navy,  starts  (Jan.)  with  a  party  of  twenty 
oflicers  and  men  to  explore  the  Isthmus  of  Darien  from  tht 
Atlantic  side. 

Senator  Douglas,  from  the  Committee  on  Territories,  report* 
a  substitute  (23  Jan.)  for  the  Nebraska  Bill,  providing  for  the 
erection  of  two  Territories,  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  to  be  divided 
on  the  40th  parallel  of  latitude,  and  permitting  the  inhabitants 
to  decide  for  themselves  whether  they  will  have  the  institution 
of  slavery  or  not,  thus  annulling  the  Missouri  Compromise  ol' 
1820;  heated  debate  ensues,  and  public  meetings  in  protestation 
are  held  throughout  the  Northern  States;  the  bill  passes  tlu> 
Senate  3  March,  and  goes  to  the  House,  where  it  acts  as  a  fire 
brand  during  an  entire  fortnight;  the  final  question  is  taken  22 
May,  and  the  bill  passes;  the  Senate  agrees  to  it  in  the  amended 
(House)  form  (25),  and  it  is  approved  by  the  President  (31). 

Col.  Fremont's  party,  after  having  lived  on  horse-flesh  for 
fifty  days  and  been  without  food  of  any  kind  for  two  days,  are 
rescued  8  Feb.,  by  Col.  Babbit,  Secretary  of  Utah  Territory,  al 
a  point  four  days'  journey  from  Great  Salt  Lake;  Fremont 
reaches  San  Francisco,  1  May,  greatly  enfeebled,  and  has  to 
decline  a  public  dinner. 

The  American  steamship  Black  War)  tor  is  seized,  28  Feb.,  in 
the  harbor  of  Havana,  and  the  vessel  and  cargo  are  declared 
confiscated;  the  President  sends  a  messenger  to  Spain  to  demand 
immediate  redress,  but  the  Spanish  Government  justifies  the 
Cuban  authorities;  a  proposition  is  made  in  Congress  to  suspend 
i  the  neutia^ity  laws,  when  the  Captain-General  of  Cuba  releases 
the  vessel  and  cargo  on  the  payment,  under  protest,  of  a  fine  of 
$6,000. 

Chicago  completes  its  great  water-works  system,  Feb. 

A  Homestead  Bill,  providing  that  any  free  white  citizen,  or 
any  one  who  may  have  declared  his  intention  to  become  one 
previous  to. the  passage  of  the  Act,  may  select  a  quarter  section 
(160  acres)  of  land  on  the  public  domain,  and  by  occupying  and 
cultivating  it  five  years,  may  receive  a  title  to  it  in  fee,  free  of 
cost,  is  adopted  in  the  House,  3  March;  this  also  leads  to  a 
lengthy  discussion,  during  which  the  bill  is  amended  by  fixing 
a  sliding  scale  of  prices  of  all  the  public  lands,  and  limiting 


tflstory  of  the  Unitect  States.  179 

1854.  the  individual  claim  t^  two  quarter  sections,  and  in  this  form  it 
is  adopted  by  both  Houses. 

Having  obtained  charters  from  the  British  Colonial  Govern 
ments  for  a  monopoly  of  a  line  of  telegraph  between  Newfound 
land  and  the  American  Continent  for  a  term  of  fifty  years, 
Cyrus  W.  Field, of  New  York,  organizes  the  New  York,  New 
foundland,  and  London  Telegraph  Company,  at  his  residence, 
10  March;  the  company  is  composed  of  Messrs.  Peter  Cooper, 
Moses  Taylor,  Marshall  O.Roberts,  Chandler  White,  and  Cyrus 
W.  Field,  with  David  Dudley  Field  as  legal  adviser. 

After  Japan  had  been  closed  against  foreign  intercourse, 
commercial  and  religious,  for  nearly  two  centuries,  during 
which  time  many  efforts  were  made  by  influential  nations  to 
secure  treaties  for  trade  purpose,  the  country  is  practically 
reopened,  31  March,  when  Commodore  Perry  signs  a  treaty 
between  the  U.  S.  and  Japan,  amid  extraordinary  ceremonies 
at  Yeddo. 

A  fugitive  slave  named  Burns  is  arrested  in  Boston  (May), 
and  a  riot  ensues;  U.  S.  troops  are  sent  from  Rhode  Island  to 
sustain  the  officers  of  the  law,  and  the  local  militia  are  called 
out  to  protect  the  court  and  its  witnesses;  the  U.  S.  Commis 
sioner  decides  that  the  slave  must  be  returned  to  his  owner, 
and,  owing  to  the  intense  xcitement,  Burns  is  conveyed  to 
Virginia  in  a  Government  vessel. 

The  President  issues  a  proclamation,  1  June,  warning  all 
persons  against  taking  part  in  any  way  in  any  movement  having 
for  its  object  the  invasion  of  Cuba. 

Capt.  Ericsson  makes  a  model  of  an  iron  tower  on  an 
armored  vessel,  whic'x  is  the  first  practical  design  of  an  iron 
clad  man-of-war. 

An  enormous  emigration  from  Missouri  to  Kansas  sets  in 
immediately  after  the  passage  of  the  Territory  Act,  and  tins  is 
supplemented  by  streams  from  the  North  and  East  managed  by 
emigrant  aid  societies  opposed  to  the  institution  of  slavery;  the 
Eastern  and  Northern  settlers  are  warned  that  no  abolitionists 
will  be  tolerated  in  the  Territory. 

A  treaty  is  signed  between  the  U.  S.  and  Mexico  fixing  the 
boundary-line,  and  releasing  the  U.  S.  from  the  obligation  to 
defend  the  frontier  against  the  Indians;  for  this  release  as  well 
as  for  additional  territory  ceded  by  Mexico,  the  U.  S.  agrees  to 
pay  $10,000,000. 

By  direction  of  the  President,  16  Aug.,  Messrs.  James 
Buchanan,  John  Y.  Mason,  and  Pierre  Soule,  U.  S  Ministers  to 
London.  Paris,  and  Madrid  respectively,  meet  at  Ostend,  Bel 
gium,  9  Oct.,  to  confer  upon  the  best  means  of  settling  the  dif 
ficulties  about  Cuba,  and  obtaining  possession  of  the  island; 
they  address  a  letter  to  the  U.  S.  Government,  18  Oct.,  from 
Aix-'a-Chapelle,  recommending  the  purchase  of  the  island  if 
possible,  and  if  not,  its  acquisition  by  force. 

A  terrible  ocean  disaster  occurs  27  Sep.,  wfien  the  steamer 
Arctic  from  Liverpool,  while  passing  through  a  dense  fog,  is 
struck  by  the  iron  vessel  Vesta',  the  blow  is  so  damaging  to  the 
Arctic  that  she  quickly  fills  with  water  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of 


180  History  of  the  United  States. 

1854.     officers,  crew,  and  passengers,  and,  after  a  three  hours'  strug 
gle,  goes  down,  carrying  with  her  over  350  persons. 

After  years  of  costly  litigation  in  the  U.  S.  and  abroad,  Elisa 
Howe  is  this  year  rewarded  by  having  his  claims,  as  inventor 
of  the  sewing-machine,  judicially  established. 

The  Academy  of  Music,  New  York,  is  formally  opened 
2  Oct.,  by  Giulia  Grisi  and  Signer  Mario,  who  appear  in  the 
opera  of  "  Norma." 

A  discovery  is  made  that  Henry  Meigs  has  forged  warrant* 
of  the  City  Comptroller  of  San  Francisco  for  over  $1,000, 000; 
and  has  fled  the  country. 

The  President  appoints  Andrew  H.  Reeder,  of  Penn.,  Gover 
nor  of  Kansas,  and  Daniel  Woodson,  of  Ark.,  Secretary;  they 
reach  Fort  Leavenworth  in  Oct.;  an  election  for  a  Delegate  to 
Congress  is  held  (29  Nov.)  by  the  Governor's  order,  and  results 
in  the  declared  choice  of  John  W.  Whitfield,  a  Pro-Slavery 
man,  over  J.  A.  Wakefield,  a  pronounced  Free-State  man;  the 
friends  of  Wakefield  claim  the  election  of  Whitfield  illegal  on 
the  ground  that  several  hundred  non-residents  (Missourians) 
were  permitted  to  vote. 

Preliminary  negotiations  had  been  begun  between  the  Gov 
ernments  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  and  the  U.  S.,  with  the  view 
of  annexing  the  former  to  the  latter,  ami  a  draft  of  a  treaty 
was  completed,  when  King  Kamehameha  dies,  15  Dec.,  and  the 
new  King,  his  son,  immediately  closes  all  negotiations  on  the 
subject. 

A  carefully  organized  emigration  movement  to  the  Mosquito 
Country  is  developed  late  in  the  year;  Col.  H.  L.  Kinney  leads 
the  emigrants  to  a  large  tract  of  country,  alleged  to  have  been 
granted  to  some  English  subjects  by  the  King,  and  proceeds  to 
settle  them;  a  protest  is  sent  by  the  Government  of  Nicara 
gua  to  that  of  the  U.  S.  against  this  violation  of  the  neutrality 
laws. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $75,473,119; 
the  debt  is  $47,242,206;  the  value  of  imports,  $304,562,381; 
and  of  exports,  $278,341,064. 

1865.  The  cities  of  Brooklyn  and  Williamsburg  and  the  town  of 
Bush  wick  are  consolidated,  1  Jan.,  making  Brooklyn  the  third 
city  in  the  Union,  with  a  territory  of  22  square  miles,  and  a 
population  of  200,000;  George  Hall,  the  first  Mayor  of  Brook 
lyn  after  its  incorporation  (1835),  is  elected  first  Mayor  of  the 
consolidated  city. 

Governor  Reeder,  of  Kansas,  causes  a  census  of  the  Territory 
to  be  taken,  Jan.  and  Feb.,  which  shows  there  are  8,501  inhabi 
tants,  of  whom  2,905  are  voters. 

The  first  trains  over  the  new  railroad  across  the  Isthmus  of 
Darien  are  run  from  Aspinwall  to  Panama,  28  Jan. 

The  first  attempt  to  build  a  bridge  across  the  Mississippi 
River  is  successfully  accomplished  at  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  Jan. 
Recruiting  for  the  British  Army,  now  at  war  with  the  Rus 
sians  in  the  Crimea,  is  being  carried  on  in  several  of  our  large 
cities  in  violation  of  our  neutrality  laws;  as  the  British  Minister 
to  this  country  appears  to  be  implicated  in  the  matter,  the 
President  demands  his  recall;  the  British  Government  declines 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 


History  of  the   United  States.  181 

to  accede,  whereupon  the  President  dismisses  the  Minister,  and 
also  the  British  Consuls  at  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Cin 
cinnati,  all  of  whom  are  charged  with  encouraging  the  enlist 
ments. 

An  election  for  Members  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  is  held 
in  Kansas,  30  March;  large  companies  of  men  are  again  sent 
into  the  Territory  from  Missouri  to  vote;  the  judges  who  refuse 
to  let  them  vote  without  being  sworn  as  to  their  residence  are 
violently  thrust  out  and  more  willing  ones  chosen;  the  Gover 
nor  sets  aside  many  of  the  returns  and  orders  a  new  election  in 
six  districts  to  be  held  in  May;  the  Legislature  meets  at  Pawnee 
City,  2  July;  seats  are  refused  the  Free-State  men  elected  in 
March,  and  given  to  those  elected  in  May;  two  days  later  a  bill 
is  passed  removing  the  seat  of  Government  to  Shawnee  Mission, 
near  the  Missouri  frontier;  the  Governor  vetoes  it,  but  it  is 
repassecl  by  a  two-thirds  majority,  upon  which  (31)  the  Gover 
nor  is  notified  of  his  removal  from  office. 

The  great  suspension-bridge  across  the  Niagara  River,  below 
the  Falls,  begun  in  1852,  is  completed  in  March,  and  opened 
for  travel  amid  international  rejoicings. 

The  Government  despatches  an  expedition  under  command 
of  Lieut.  Hartstein,  U.  S.  Navy,  31  May,  to  rescue  Dr.  Kane, 
the  Arctic  explorer,  and  his  companions,  whom  it  is  feared  are 
either  ice-bound  or  dead;  the  expedition  returns  to  New  York, 
11  Oct.,  with  Dr.  Kane  and  all  his  party,  except  three  dead; 
they  had  been  frozen  in  at  the  most  northerly  point  of  Green 
land  ever  reached. 

Col.  H.  L.  Kinney  invites  William  Walker  to  assist  him  in 
developing  the  mineral  resources  of  his  Nicaragua  grant;  Walker 
leaves  San  Francisco  with  300  men,  and  lands  on  the  Nicara- 
guan  coast,  27  June,  where  he  announces  his  real  purpose;  the 
next  day  he  attempts  to  capture  the  town  of  Rivas,  but  failing 
to  receive  the  aid  he  expected,  and  being  hard  pressed  by  the 
Government  troops,  he  is  forced  to  retreat  to  the  coast,  whence 
the  party  escape  in  a  vessel;  he  again  appears  at  the  head  of  an 
armed  force,  in  Nicaragua,  in  Aug.;  his  party  assume  indepen 
dence  of  Nicaragua  and  (5  Sep.)  organize  a  civil  government, 
with  Col.  Kinney  as  Chief  Magistrate;  taking  advantage  of  a 
local  insurrection,  Walker  attacks  and  defeats  a  body  of  Gov 
ernment  troops  at  Virgin  Bay,  and  marching  to  the  interior, 
captures  Grenada,  the  capital,  12  Oct.;  he  places  Gen.  Rivas,  a 
native,  in  the  Presidential  office,  drives  Col.  Kinney  from  the 
Mosquito  Country,  and  receives  recognition  of  the  new  govern 
ment  from  the  American  Minister  (John  H.  Wheeler)  and  the 
British  Consul;  Rivas  sends  a  Minister  (Parker  H.  French)  to 
the  U.  S.,  but  the  Government  declines  to  receive  him. 

Owing  to  the  great  increase  in  immigration,  necessitating  the 
provision  of  some  suitable  place  for  the  reception  and  tempor 
ary  care  of  this  class  of  foreigners,  Castle  Garden,  New  York's 
leading  place  of  public  amusement,  is  surrendered  to  the  Com 
missioners  of  Emigration,  and  opened  1  Aug.  for  the  reception 
of  emigrants,  who  are  landed  there  direct  from  quarantine. 

Cyrus  W.  Field  has  a  submarine  cable  made  in  England,  with 
which  he  intends  connecting  Cape  Ray  and  Cape  Breton;  $p 


History  of  the  United  States. 

1855.  attempt  is  made  (Aug.)  to  lay  this  line  across  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence,  but  during  the  operation  a  gale  springs  up,  and  to 
save  the  steamer,  the  cable  is  cut,  and  some  forty  miles  of  it  are 
lost, 

The  Free-State  settlers  of  Kansas  hold  their  first  general 
meeting  at  Lawrence,  15  Aug.,  to  form  a  State  Government  and 
apply  for  admission  into  the  Union;  all  bona  fide  citizens  are 
requested  to  elect  delegates  to  assemble  in  convention  at  Topeka, 
19  Sept.,  to  consider  and  determine  upon  all  subjects  of  public 
interest;  at  the  Topeka  meeting  arrangements  are  perfected  to 
hold  an  election  in  Oct.,  for  delegates  to  a  constitutional  con 
vention;  these  are  accordingly  elected,  and  ex-Governor  Reeder, 
who  has  acted  with  the  Free-State  Party  since  his  removal  from 
office,  is  chosen  Delegate  to  Congress;  the  constitution  adopted 
at  the  Oct.  convention,  is  ratified  by  the  people  at  an  election, 
15  Dec. 

Wilson  Shannon,  of  Ohio,  succeeds  Andrew  H.  Reeder,  as 
Governor  of  Kansas,  and  enters  upon  official  work  1  Sept.;  he 
endeavors  to  pacify  the  disturbing  elements, but  the  storm  gets 
beyond  his  control;  a  force  of  nearly  1000  armed  men  take 
possession  of  Leavenworth,  and  create  a  reign  of  terror,  which 
causes  the  Governor  to  call  on  the  1'resident  1  Dec.,  for  U.  S- 
troops  to  preserve  peace. 

The  renowned  tragedienne  Mile.  Rachel  makes  her  first 
appearance  in  America,  in  New  York,  3  Sept. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  year  the  Indians  begin  making  war 
upon  the  white  settlers  in  Oregon  and  Washington  Territories  ; 
Major  Haller  and  his  company,  on  surveying  duty,  are  attacked 
by  an  overwhelming  force  of  Indians,  through  which  they  suc 
ceed  in  cutting  their  way;  troops  are  hastened  to  the  disaffected 
parts,  but  as  they  fail  to  suppress  the  uprising,  Gen.  Wool  is 
ordered  from  San  Francisco  to  Portland,  Or.,  to  prosecute 
vigorous  measures;  during  the  winter  the  hostilities  become  so 
frequent,  savage,  and  general  that  it  is  feared  all  the  white 
settlers  will  have  to  leave. 

William  M.  Thackeray,  the  eminent  English  author,  visits 
this  country,  and  delivers  his  first  lecture  on  George  I,  in  Dr. 
Chapin's  church,  New  York,  1  Nov. 

The  first  session  of  the  34th  Congress  convenes  3  Dec.; 
the  House  spends  the  remainder  of  the  year  in  ineffectual  efforts 
to  organize  by  electing  a  Speaker;  the  President's  message, 
received  31  Dec.,  deals  largely  with  the  constitutional  rights  of 
the  States,  and  the  interference  of  the  Free  States  in  the 
domestic  affairs  of  the  Slave  States. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $66,164,775; 
the  debt  is  $39,969,731;  the  value  of  imports,  $261,468,520,  and 
of  exports,  $275,156,846. 

1856.  In  Kansas,  members  of  the  State  Legislature  and  State  officers 

are  elected,  15  Jan.;  the  Legislature  assembles  at  Topeka,  1 
March,  and  organizes  a  State  Government;  Dr.  Charles  Robin 
son,  the  Governor-elect,  delivers  his  inaugural;  Andrew  H. 
Reeder  and  James  H.  Lane  are  chosen  U.  S.  Senators;  a  peti 
tion  to  Congress  for  admission  is  prepared;  and  an  adjournment 
taken  to  4  July;  directly  after  the  adjournment  Gov.  Robinson 


History  of  the   United  States.  183 

1856.  and  several  other  leading  citizens  are  arrested  ou  a  charge  of 
high  treason;  in  spite  of  demands  for  a  trial  they  are  confined 
four  months,  when  Judge  Lecompte  releases  them  on  learning 
that  Gen.  Lane  is  about  doing  so  by  force;  on  the  reassembling 
of  the  Legislature,  4  July,  Marshal  Donaldson  has  President 
Pierce's  proclamation  read,  in  which  he  declares  that  the  laws 
of  the  Shawnee  Legislature  will  be  enforced  by  the  entire  force 
of  the  Government;  Col.  Su inner,  with  a  force  of  200  men, 
appears,  and  asserts  that  he  has  come  to  disperse  the  Legisla 
ture;  the  members  obey  the  order  without  attempting  an 
organization;  in  the  meantime  the  constitution  framed  atTopeka 
is  presented  to  Congress.  7  April,  a  petition  for  admission  as  a 
State  is  rejected  in  the  Senate  and  a  special  House  Com 
mittee  to  investigate  the  Kansas  troubles,  consisting  of  John 
Sherman,  Ohio,  William  A.  Howard,  Michigan,  and  Mordecai 
Oliver,  Mo.,  report  1  July  that  the  alleged  Territorial  Legisla 
ture  was  an  illegally  constituted  body,  that  the  elections  under 
the  organic  law  had  been  carried  on  by  organized  invasions 
from  Missouri,  that  neither  Whitfield,  the  sitting  delegate,  nor 
Reecler,  the  contestant,  is  entitled  to  a  seat  in  the  House,  and 
that  a  fair  election  cannot  be  held  without  the  presence  of  the 
U.  S.  troops  at  every  polling  place. 

The  steamship  Pacific,  with  forty-five  passengers  and  nearly 
150  officers  and  crew,  leaves  Liverpool  for  New  York,  23  Jan., 
and  as  no  tidings  are  heard  of  her;  she  is  supposed  to  have 
foundered  or  been  burned  at  sea. 

Nathaniel  P.  Banks,  of  Mass.,  is  elected  Speaker  of  the  House 
on  the  133d  ballot,  2  Feb.,  receiving  103  votes  to  100  for  William 
Aiken,  of  S.  C. 

The  Central  Park  (New  York)  Commissioners  appraise  the 
land  authorized  to  be  purchased  at  $5,398,695,  and  their  report 
is  confirmed  5  Feb.,  and  the  purchase  consummated,  $1,658,395 
of  the  amount  being  levied  on  the  adjoining  property  owners. 

On  the  21  Feb.,  the  Convention  of  the  National  American 
Party  is  held  in  Philadelphia;  Ex-President  Fillmore,  N.  Y., 
who  favored  the  compromise  measures  of  1850,  is  nominated 
for  President,  and  Andrew  J.  Donelson,  of  Tenn.,  for  Vice- 
President;  the  principal  feature  of  the  platform  is  that  Ameri 
cans  must  rule  America. 

The  anti-Nebraska  men,  embracing  all,  of  whatever  party  in 
the  past,  who  condemn  the  repudiation  of  the  Missouri  Com 
promise,  and  who  shortly  assume  the  designation  of  Republi 
cans,  hold  their  first  Convention  in  Pittsburg,  Penn.,  22  Feb.; 
their  nominating  Convention  is  held  in  Philadelphia,  17  June, 
under  the  presidency  of  Col.  Henry  S.  Lane,  of  Ind.;  Col. 
John  C.  Fremont,  of  Cal.,  is  nominated  for  President  on  the 
first  ballot;  for  Vice-Preside nt,  William  L.  Dayton,  of  N.  J., 
receives  259  votes,  and  Abraham  Lincoln,  of  111.,  110,  with  180 
scattering,  whereupon  Mr.  Dayton  is  unanimously  nominated. 

California  opens  her  first  railroad,  extending  from  Sacramento 
to  Polsoin,  22  Feb. 

Brigham  Young  is  removed  from  the  Governorship  of 
Utah,  in  consequence  of  complaints  from  the  Gentile  office 
holders  concerning  the  lax  administration  of  the  laws. 


184  History   of  the    United  States. 

1856.  The  movements  of  the  American  filibusters  in  Nicaragua 
last  year  led  the  other  governments  on  the  Isthmus  to  unite  in 
an  alliance  against  the  new  Government  of  Nicaragua;  Costa 
Rica  declares  war  against  Nicaragua,  and  within  a  few  daj^s  (10 
March)  Walker  sends  similar  declarations  to  Costa  Rica;  all  the 
Central  American  States  are  called  upon  to  assist  Costa  Kica; 
the  "war"  opens  20  March;  Costa  Rica  invades  Nicaragua, 
meets  Walker's  troops  (11  April)  and  is  quickly  defeated  and 
driven  from  the  State;  Ge.n.  Rivas  resigns  the  Presidency,  and 
proclaims  against  Walker,  who  (24  June)  is  elected  President, 
and  (12  July)  inaugurated;  President  Pierce  recognizes  Walker's 
Government  and  cordially  receives  his  ambassador,  Father 
Vigil,  of  theR.  C.  Church. 

In  Washington  Territory,  the  volunteers  defeat  a  large  body 
of  hostile  Indians,  10  March,  while  in  Oregon  the  Indians  (25 
March)  burn  every  building  in  Cascodes,  as  well  as  in  the 
vicinity  of  Vancouver;  Gen.  Wool  succeeds  in  putting  an  end 
to  the  troubles  in  Oregon  during  the  summer,  but  disturbances 
continue  elsewhere  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

A  street  railroad,  connecting  Boston  with  Cambridge,  the  first 
seen  in  New  England,  goes  into  operation  26  March. 

The  Adriatic,  the  largest  steamship  afloat,  is  successfully 
launched  at  New  York,  7  April,  and  attracts  wide-spread 
interest. 

James  King,  editor  of  the  San  Francisco  Bulletin,  is  killed  by 
James  P.  Casey,  editor  of  the  Sunday  Times,  of  the  same 
place,  14  May;  Casey  is  arrested  and  put  into  jail,  whence  he 
and  another  murderer  are  forcibly  removed  by  the  Vigilance 
Committee,  tried,  and  executed  on  a  public  thoroughfare; 
the  Governor  calls  out  the  militia  to  suppress  the  Com 
mittee,  who,  fortifying  themselves,  resist  capture;  having 
accomplished  the  object  of  its  organization— ridding  the  city  of 
dangerous  characters  and  enforcing  a  respect  for  law  and  justice 
— the  Committee  disbands  18  Aug.;  it  was  popularly  sustained 
in  illegally  doing  the  city  a  grand  service. 

Representative  Preston  S.  Brooks,  of  S.  C.,  makes  a  brutal 
personal  assault  upon  Senator  Sumner,  of  Mass.,  22  May,  in  the 
Senate  Chamber,  on  account  of  some  words  used  by  the  Sena 
tor  in  a  speech  on  Kansas  affairs  two  days  before  ;  the  Senator 
is  struck  with  a  heavy  cane  while  at  his  desk,  knocked  to  the 
floor  senseless,  and  there  beaten,  receiving  injuries  which  made 
him  an  invalid  for  four  years  and  affected  him  to  his  death;  the 
House  refuses  to  expel  Brooks,  and  he  resigns,  but  is  soon 
re-elected;  in  a  civil  action  he  is  fined  $300  for  the  assault; 
great  indignation  meetings  are  held  throughout  the  North,  and 
general  sympathy  for  the  Senator  is  expressed. 

The  last  services  are  held  in  the  Old  Brick  (Pres.)  Church  on 
Beekman  Street,  New  York,  a  venerated  victim  to  the  march  of 
improvement,  25  May. 

The  village  of  Osawatomie,  Kansas,  is  sacked  and  burned,  5 
June,  by  a  Pro-Slavery  combination,  headed  by  Gen.  Whitfield; 
Leavenworth  is  seized  (1  Sep.)  by  a  large  force,  mainly  from 


History  of  the  United  States.  185 

1856.  Missouri,  who  murder  and  plunder  without  material  opposition. 

The  National  Democratic  Convention  is  held  5  June,  in  Cin 
cinnati,  0.;  James  Buchanan,  of  Penn,  ex-Minister  to  England, 
is  nominated  for  President,  and  John  C.  Breckenridge,  of  Ky., 
for  Vice-President. 

The  first  statue  in  modern  New  York,  an  equestrian  one  of 
Washington,  is  set  up.  July,  at  the  lower  end  of  Union  Square; 
in  the  same  month  the  Common  Council  authorizes  the  erection 
of  a  monument  to  Gen.  Worth,  on  Fifth  Avenue  and  Broad 
way;  ground  is  broken  for  the  Ridgewood  (Brooklyn,  N.  Y.) 
water- works,  31. 

Hartford's  (Conn.)  historic  pride,  the  Charter  Oak  Tree,  is 
blown  down,  21  Aug. 

Gov.  Shannon,  of  Kansas,  is  informed,  21  Aug.,  of  his 
removal  from  office;  his  successor,  John  W.  Geary,  appointed 
in  July,  reaches  Fort  Leavenworth,  9  Sep. 

Cyrus  W.  Field  succeeds  in  establishing  telegraphic  com 
munication  between  Newfoundland  and  the  U.  S.;  the  project 
for  the  main  line  across  the  ocean  is  favorably  considered  by 
Great  Britain  and  the  U.  S.,  who  detail  men-of-war  to  lay  the 
cable;  Mr.  Field  goes  to  England,  organizes  the  Atlantic  Tele 
graph  Company,  and  starts  the  manufacture  of  the  cable. 

The  Rip-Rap  riots  break  out  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  12  Sep.,  and 
are  renewed  8  Oct.,  while  a  desperate  political  fight  occurs  on 
election  day  and  night. 

The  manufacture  of  condensed  milk  is  begun  in  Conn. 

Charles  P.  Huntington,  of  New  York,  is  discovered  to  have 
forged  commercial  paper  to  the  amount  ol  over  $15,000,000; 
insanity  is  set  up  in  his  defense. 

The  second  railroad  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  River,  1582 
feet  long,  is  completed  at  Rock  Island,  111. 

Congress  makes  a  grant  of  public  lands  in  Alabama,  Florida, 
Louisiana,  Minnesota,  Mississippi,  Michigan,  and  Wisconsin,  to 
assist  in  the  building  of  railroads. 

A  vessel  makes  the  passage  from  Milwaukee  to  Europe,  for 
the  first  time,  via  the  great  lakes,  the  Welland  Canal,  and  the 
St.  Lawrence  River. 

Steel  is  produced  by  the  Bessemer  process  at  Phillipsburg,  N. 
J.,  from  Sussex  County  iron. 

In  the  Presidential  election  (4  Nov.),  Mr.  Buchanan  receives 
1,839,169  popular  votes;  Col.  Fremont,  1,341,264;  and  Mr.  Fill- 
more,  874,534;  thirty^one  States,  with  296  electors,  vote,  giving 
Buchanan  174,  Fremont  114,  and  Fillmore  8. 

The  receipts  of  the  post-office  department  for  the  year  amount 
to  $7,620,801,  and  the  expenditures  to  $10,407,868. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $72,726,341 ; 
the  debt  is  $30,963,909;  the  value  of  imports,  $314,639,943;  and 
of  exports,  $326,964,908. 

1857.  The  Free-State  Legislature  of  Kansas,  under  the  Topeka  Consti 

tution,  meets  at  Topeka,  6  Jan.;  a  Deputy  Marshal  arrests  seven 
members  under  a  writ  issued  by  Judge  Gate,  but  they  refuse  to 
go  with  him;  two  days  later  the  Marshal  returns  with  assistance 
and  arrests  a  dozen  or  more  of  the  members  with  the  presiding 
officers;  the  Members  of  both  Houses  meet  in  joint  session, 


186  History  of  the  United  States. 

• 

1857.  adopt  a  memorial  to  Congress*  and  adjourn  to  June;  the  Terri 
torial  Legislature  meets  at  Lecompton,  12  Jan.;  it  passes  an  Act 
to  allow  judges  to  take  bail  in  all  cases  of  crime,  the  Governor 
vetoes  it,  but  it  is  re-passed;  an  Act  is  passed  providing  for  a 
Constitutional  Convention,  the  election  to  be  in  June  and  the 
Convention  at  Lecompton,  in  Sep.;  this  is  vetoed  and  re-passed; 
Robert  J.  Walker,  of  Miss.,  is  appointed  Governor,  to  succeed 
J.  W.  Geary,  and  Frederick  P.  Stanton,  of  Tenn.,  Secretary; 
&  nolle  pros  is  entered,  11  May,  on  the  indictments  for  treasoii 
against  Gov.  Robinson  and  other  members  of  the  Topeka 
Legislature. 

The  city  of  New  York  is  thrown  into  unusual  excitement,  31 
Jan.,  by  the  discovery  that  Dr.  Harvey  Burdell,  a  well-known 
dentist,  living  at  81  Bond  Street,  has  been  murdered  in  his  bed 
room;  Mrs.  Cunningham,  a  widow  who  hires  the  house  of  the 
doctor  and  who  claims  to  have  been  privately  married  to  him, 
with  Messrs.  Eckel  and  Snodgrass,  two  of  her  lodgers,  are  cir 
cumstantially  implicated  and  arrested,  but  nothing  is  ever  proved 
against  them. 

James  Buchanan  is  inaugurated  fifteenth  President  of  the  I'. 
S.,  4  March;  he  selects  the  following  as  his  cabinet  officers: 
Lewis  Cass,  Mich.,  Secretary  of  State;  Ho\vell  Cobb,  Ga.,  Sec 
retary  of  the  Treasury;  Jacob  Thompson,  Miss.,  Secretary  of 
the  Interior;  Isaac  Toucey,  Conn.,  Secretary  of  the  Navy; 
John  B.  Floyd,  Va.,  Secretary  of  War;  Jeremiah  S.  Black, 
Penn.,  Attorney-General;  and  Aaron  V.  Brown,  Tenn.,  Post- 
master-G  eneral . 

Dred  Scott,  a  negro  slave,  had  been  taken  from  Missouri  into 
Illinois  by  a  former  master,  and  after  being  held  there  a  slave 
for  two  years,  was  removed  to  Minnesota,  where  he  married  a 
female  slave  of  the  same  master;  Scott,  with  his  wife  and 
daughter,  was  removed  to  Missouri  in  18158  and  sold  to  John  F. 
A.  Sanford;  he  then  sued  for  the  freedom  of  himself  and 
family,  and  obtained  judgment  in  his  favor  in  the  Missouri 
Circuit  Court ;  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  reversed  the 
judgment,  and  the  case  was  taken  to  the  U.  S.  Supreme 
Court;  Chief  Justice  Tuncy,  on  behalf  of  the  majority  of 
the  Court,  pronounces  judgment  (6  March),  reversing  the 
judgment  of  the  District  Court  and  directing  the  dismissal 
of  the  suit  for  want  of  jurisdiction  ;  he  calls  attention  to  the 
fact  that  negro  slaves  had  no  rights  either  before  or  after  the 
adoption  of  the  Constitution,  that  they  have  always  been  con 
sidered  property,  and  cannot  be  naturalized  as  citizens. 

Employes  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad  go  on  a  strike 
(29  April),  and  for  .«^vjral  days  have  stubborn  lights  with  the 
police  guarding  the  "ail'-oad  property;  the  Governor  issues  a 
proclamation  and  cailh  out  the  State  troops  to  quell  the  riots. 

The  combination  of  the  Central  American  States  against 
Walker's  Nicaraguan  Government  proves  effective;  he  is  com 
pelled  to  surrender  the  remainder  of  his  army,  20  May,  at 
Rivas,  and  with  a  few  personal  followers  is  saved  by  Com 
modore  Davis,  U.  S.  Navy;  landing  at  New  Orleans  he  begins 
fitting  out  another  expedition,  and  (25  Nov.)  effects  a  landing  at 
Puenta  Arenas,  where  (3  Dec.)  he  is  seized,  with  his  army  of 


History  of  the  United  States.  18? 

1857.  232  men,  by  Commodore  Paulding,  U.  S.  Navy,  and  taken  to 
New  York. 

The  lines  of  canals  and  railroads  constructed  by  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania,  at  a  cost  of  upwards  of  $12,000.000,  to  con 
nect  Philadelphia  with  Pittsburg(1831),  are  sold  to  the  Pennsyl 
vania  Railroad  Company,  25  June,  for  $7,500,000. 

By  Act  of  the  Legislature,  the  Police  Department  of  New 
York  is  transferred  from  the  City  to  the  State  authorities;  Mayor 
Wood  determines  to  test  the  constitutionality  of  the  Act  and  to 
resist  its  execution;  he  refuses  to  surrender  police  property  or 
to  disband  the  old  force;  conflicts  ensue  between  the  officers  of 
the  Metropolitan  and  the  Municipal  Police;  the  Seventh  Regi 
ment  stops  at  the  City  Hall  while  on  its  way  to  take  the  boat  for 
Boston,  and  quells  a  riot  there;  Gen.  Sandford  orders  nine 
regiments  under  arms  to  preserve  the  peace;  the  Metropolitan 
Police  Act  is  declared  constitutional  (1  July)  by  the  Court  of 
Appeals;  on  the  evening  of  the  3d,  the  city  is  plunged  into  the 
wildest  disorder;  the  Dead  Rabbits  and  the  Bowery  Boys  begin 
a  series  of  street  fights  in  Bayard  Street;  the  rioters  drive  off 
the  police  and  barricade  the  streets;  the  Seventh  Regiment  is 
summoned  home  by  telegraph,  and  all  the  militia  are  ordered 
out;  the  riot  is  quelled  in  the  afternoon  (4),  but  breaks  out 
again  the  next  day,  when  the  militia  disperses  the  crowd;  fur 
ther  outbreaks  occur  (13,  14),  which  the  police  suppress. 

The  U.  S.  S.  frigate  Niagara,  attended  by  the  Susquehanna, 
detailed  to  lay  one  half  of  the  Atlantic  Cable,  and  ttie  British 
frigate  Agamemnon,  attended  by  four  men-of-war,  detailed  to 
lay  the  other  half,  receive  their  allotted  quantity  of  wire;  the 
Niagara  lands  the  end  of  her  cable  at  Valentia'  Bay,  Aug.  5, 
and  sets  sail  for  mid-ocean,  where  the  splice  with  theAgamem- 
non  portion  is  to  be  made;  during  a  heavy  swell  (11)  the  wire  on 
the  Niagara  breaks  and  400  miles'  length  of  it  is  lost.  '  • 

A  great  financial  storm  breaks  upon  the  country;  the  Ohio 
Life  and  Trust  Company  suspends,  24  Aug.,  for  the  enormous 
sum  of  $7,000,000;  this  is  followed  bv  the  suspension  of  the 
Philadelphia  banks  (25,  26  Sep.),  and  a  general  suspension 
in  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  the  District  of  Columbia,  and 
Rhode  Island;  a  run  upon  the  banks  leads  the  New  York 
Legislature,  13,  14  Oct.,  to  authorize  a  suspension  of  specie 
payments  by  the  banks  for  one  year;  the  city  banks  resume 
payment,  24  Dec.,  and  on  the  same  day  the  Massachusetts 
banks  suspend;  the  panic  becomes  universal  throughout  the 
country,  thousands  of  manufactories  an  compelled  to  stop 
work,  and  prompt  measures  are  taken  in  the  large  cities  to 
relieve  the  suffering  of  the  unemployed  and  to  guard  against 
bread  riots;  the  failures  during  the  year  amount  to  5,123,  and 
the  liabilities  to  $291,750,000. 

A  national  emancipation  society  is  formed  at  Cleveland.  O., 
26  Aug.,  for  the  purpose  of  endeavoring  to  suppress  slavery  by 
getting  the  Government  to  purchase  and  liberate  all  slaves. 

The  steamer  Central  America  leaves  Havana  for  New  York, 
with  600  persons  on  board,  8  Sep.;  the  vessel  springs  a  leak  in 
a  heavy  storm  (11),  and  9)1  hands  have  to  work  for'their  lives; 
a  passing  vessel  takes  ofc  about  100  persons  (12),  and  shortly 


188  History  of  the   United  States. 

1857.  afterwards  the  steamer  goes  down  suddenly  with  over  400  per 
sons,  besides  treasure  estimated  at  over  $2,000,000. 

An  emigrant  party  of  136  persons,  provided  with  all  the  means 
of  agricultural  life,  camps  at  Mountain  Meadow,  at  the  south  end 
of  Salt  Lake  Valley,  Utah,  Sep.;  shortly  after  wards  They  are  as 
saulted  by  Indians  and  some  whites,  said  to  be  Mormons  under  the 
direction  of  John  D.  Lee,  and  compelled  to  surrender  all  their 
property;  starting  on  their  return  to  Cedar  City,  they  are  sud 
denly  surprised,  and  120  of  their  number  are  killed. 

President  Buchanan  sends  a  large  body  of  U.  S.  troops  to 
Utah  to  compel  an  observance  of  the  laws  by  the  Mormons,  and 
appoints  Alfred  Gumming  and  Judge  Eckels,  Governor  and 
Chief  Justice  respectively;  Brigham  Young  prepares  to  resist 
the  military,  and  warns  all  bodies  of  armed  "men  against  enter 
ing  the  territory;  the  U.  S.  Grand  Jury  indicts  Young  and  a 
number  of  the  Mormon  leaders  for  high  treason. 

The  first  Session  of  the  85th  Congress  opens,  7  Dec.; 
James  L.  Or,  Democrat,  of  S.  C.,  is  elected  Speaker  of  the 
House,  over  Galusha  A.  Grow,  Republican,  of  Penn.;  in  his 
Message,  the  President  recommends  a  bankrupt  law  for  banking 
institutions,  a  railroad  to  the  Pacific,  and  the  establishment  of 
a  Territorial  Government  over  Arizona,  incorporating  with  it 
portions  of  New  Mexico. 

Gov.  Walker,  of  Kansas,  resigns  his  position,  15  Dec.;  the 
election  for  voting  upon  the  slavery  clauses  of  the  Lecompton 
Constitution  is  held,  21,  the  Free-State  men  not  voting;  the  Con 
stitution  with  slavery  receives  6,143  votes,  and  the  Constitution 
without  slavery,  569. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $71,274,587; 
the  debt  is  $29,060,386;  the  value  of  imports,  $362,890,141;  and 
of  exports,  $362,960,608. 

1858.  The  Territorial  Legislature  of  Kansas,    convened  by  order  of 

Gov.  Stanton,  had  provided  for  an  election  to  be  held  4  Jan.;  this 
results  in  138  votes  for  the  Constitution  with  slavery,  24  for  the 
Constitution  without  slavery,  and  10,226  against  the  Constitution; 
on  the  same  day  State  Officers,  a  Representative  to  Congress, 
and  a  Legislature  are  chosen  under  the  Lecompton  Constitu 
tion,  the  Free-State  Party  again  declining  to  vote. 

President  BucnH.^in  privately  commends  Commodore  Pauld- 
ing  for  arresting  the  fillibuster  Walker,  but  (7  Jan.)  publicly 
condemns  him  "in  a  message  to  Congress  for  violating  the 
sovereignty  of  a  foreign  nation;  Walker  is  released  from  arrest, 
and  proceeds  to  Mobile  to  organize  his  third  expedition. 

Messrs.  Olmstead  and  Vaux  begin  the  work  of  beautifying 
Central  Park,  April. 

A  bill,  which  practically  agrees  to  admit  Kansas  as  a  State 
immediately  with  slavery,  but  otherwise  denies  admission  until 
the  population  reaches  93,340,  passes  both  Houses  of  Congress, 
30  April. 

An  understanding  is  reached  (March)  t  'tween  the  new  Gov 
ernor  of  Utah  and  the  Mormon  leaders,  i  x>  £*v,  Commissioners 
from  the  President,  offering  pardon  to  a>  Mormons  who  will 
submit  to  Federal  authority,  arrive  in  Salt  j'*ake  City,  May;  the 
"Church"  accepts  the  offer,  and  peace  Is  tippurently  restored. 


History  of  the  United  States.  189 

By  Act  of  Congress,  11  May,  Minnesota  is  admitted  Into  thfc 
Union  as  a  State,  with  an  area  of  83,531  square  miles. 

The  United  Presbyterian  Church  is  formed  in  Pittsburg, 
Penn.,  20  May,  by  a  consolidation  of  the  Associate  and  the 
Associate  Reformed  Churches  of  North  America. 

Most  of  the  conferences  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church 
become  intensely  anti-slavery;  they  demand  of  the  General  Con 
ference  which  meets  in  Lynchburg,  Va.,  in  May,  such  legisla- 
lation  as  shall  exclude  slaveholders  from  the  communion  of  the 
Church;  as  the  General  Conference  refuses  to  comply,  nineteen 
annual  conferences  send  delegates  to  a  convention  which  meets 
in  Springfield,  0.,  10  Nov.,  when  all  communication  is  suspended 
with  other  portions  of  the  Church  so  long  as  they  countenance 
slavery.  Subsequently  these  conferences  secede  from  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church,  and  with  a  number  of  other  non- 
Episcopal  Methodist  bodies  organize  "The  Methodist  Church." 

The  U.  S.  and  British  war-vessels  sail  from  Plymouth  Sound, 
England,  with  a  new  cable  on  board,  10  June;  they  meet  with 
heavy  weather,  but  (26)  make  the  splice;  it  parts  almost  immedi 
ately,  and  a  second  splicing  (28)  has  the  same  fate,  the  cable 
breaking  twice  on  the  Niagara  and  once  (29)  on  the  Agamem 
non',  both  vessels  put  back  to  Queenstown,  whence  they  sail, 
17  July;  a  splice  is  made  in  a  few  clays,  and  the  vessels  part,  the 
Agamemnon  and  Valorous  heading  for  Ireland,  and  the  Niagara 
and  Gorgon  for  Newfoundland;  landings  are  made  (4,  5  Aug.), 
and  messages  are  exchanged  through  the  cable  between  Queen 
Victoria  and  President  Buchanan,  16;  the  achievement  is  cele 
brated  in  New  York,  1  Sep.  by  the  grandest  demonstration 
heretofore  seen. 

The  remains  of  President  Monroe  are  removed  from  the 
Marble  Cemetery,  New  York,  3  July,  and  escorted  to  Richmond, 
Va.,  by  the  Seventh  Regiment. 

Determined  that  their  shores  shall  no  longer  be  used  for 
quarantine  purposes,  the  populace  of  Staten  Island  organize 
themselves,  and,  marching  to  the  hospital  buildings  atCastleton, 
remove  the  sick  from  the  wards,  drive  off  the  officers,  and  burn 
all  the  buildings. 

Cooper  Institute,  erected  by  Peter  Cooper,  at  a  cost  of  over 
$600,000,  for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  popular  instruction 
free,  is  thrown  open  to  the  public. 

The  Lecompton  Constitution  in  Kansas  is  rejected  in  a  special 
election,  2  Aug.,  the  vote  on  the  proposition  of  Congress  and 
admission  being  1,788  for,  to  11,088  against. 

Archbishop  Hughes  lays  the  corner-stone  of  the  new  Roman 
Catholic  Cathedral,  on  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  15  Aug. 

While  attempting  to  fumigate  the  steamer  Austria,  bound 
from  Hamburg  to  Isew  York,  with  425  passengers  and  113  officers 
and  crew  on  board,  13  Sep.  the  vessel  takes  fire  and  gets  beyond 
control;  ninety-nine  persons  are  saved  by  passing  vessels,  but 
the  rest  are  lost  by  drowning  and  the  flames. 

The  famous  Crystal  Palace,  in  New  York,  is  destroyed  by  flret 
together  with  a  rich  collection  of  the  Fair  of  the  American 
Institute,  on  exhibition,  5  Oct. 


190  History  of  the  United  States. 

• 

1856.  A  mail  conveyed  overland  from  San  Francisco  In  a  little  le&* 
than  twenty-four  days,  reaches  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  9  Oct. 

An  effort  is  made  during  the  summer  to  re-open  the  African 
slave  trade,  a  number  of  native  Africans  being  landed  on  th  ; 
Southern  coast  and  placed  at  once  in  bondage. 

During  the  year,  the  Legislature  of  New  York  enacts  that 
every  slave  brought  involuntarily  within  its  borders  shall  be  set 
free,  and  the  Legislatures  of  Maine,  Massachusetts,  Connecti 
cut,  Michigan,  and  Wisconsin  pass  "personal  liberty  laws, 
strongly  favoring  the  freedom  of  the  slave. 

Congress  convenes  6  Dec.;  the  President  states  that  the  con 
troversy  between  the  U.  S.  and  Great  Britain  relating  to  th  3 
right  of  search  has  been  amicably  settled;  that  if  Cuba  can  b3 
acquired  the  slave-trade  will  instantly  disappear;  and  that  th-3 
condition  of  the  Treasury  demands  an  increase  of  duties,  on 
which  he  recommends  specific  instead  of  ad  valorem  duties. 

The  gold  fever  is  stimulated  by  the  discovery  of  the  metal  at 
Pike's  Peak,  Col. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $82,002,186; 
the  debt  is  $44,910,777;  the  value  of  imports,  $282,613,150;  and 
of  exports,  $324,644,421. 

1859*  The  Kansas  Legislature  convenes  in  Jan.,  and  passes  an  Amnesty 
Act  by  which  the  various  prosecutions  for  political  offences 
which  have  been  begun  in  the  south-eastern  counties  are 
stopped;  a  bill  to  abolish  and  prohibit  slavery  is  passed,  and  the 
new  Governor  (Samuel  Medary,  of  O.)  vetoes  it;  an  election  is 
held  in  March,  when  the  proposed  Constitutional  Convention  has 
a  majority  ot  nearly  4000  votes;  a  Republican  Convention  is 
held  at  Osawatomie,  18  May,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing 
a  Republican  Party;  the  Constitutional  Convention  assembles 
5  July,  and  adjourns  27,  after  adopting  a  constitution,  all  the 
Democrats  present  voting  against  it;  this  constitution,  which 
prohibits  slavery,  is  ratified  at  a  popular  election  (Oct.)  by  a 
majority  of  4000;  a  Territorial  election  for  Members  of  the 
Legislature  and  a  Delegate  to  Congress  is  held  in  Nov.,  when 
the  Republican  candidate  for  Delegate  and  a  majoiityof  the 
Republican  candidates  for  the  Legislature  are  elected;  under 
the  new  constitution  Republican  State  officers  and  a  Delegate  to 
Congress  are  elected  6  Dec.,  by  a  majority  of  about  3000. 

By  Act  of  Congress,  14  Feb.,  Oregon  is  admitted  as  a  State 
into  the  Union,  with  an  area  of  95,274  square  miles. 

John  Brown,  an  enthusiastic  anti-slavery  man,  leads  a  party 
of  slaves  from  Missouri  to  freedom  in  Canada;  he  crosses  the 
line  at  Detroit,  12  March,  and  assembles  a  secret  convention  of 
negroes  and  sympathetic  whites  at  Chatham,  Canada  West,  8 
May,  by  whom  "  a  provisional  constitution  and  ordinances  for 
the  people  of  the  United  States,"  drafted  by  Brown,  are 
adopted.  Brown,  being  chosen  commander-in-chief,  returns  to 
the  U.  S.  and  enters  upon  his  scheme  to  liberate  the  slaves;  he 
makes  a  contract  in  Collinsville.  Conn.,  for  1000  pikes,  3  June, 
and  in  the  early  part  of  July,  he  rents  a  farm  near  Harper's 
Ferry,  Va.;  he  decides  to  strike  the  first  blow  against  slavery 
on  the  night  of  24  Oct.,  but  changes  his  mind;  on  the  evening 
of  Sunday,  16  Oct. .  he  moves  his  force  of  seventeen  white  and  five 


History  of  the  United  States.  1^1 

1859.  colored  men  into  the  village  of  Harper's  Ferry,  extinguishes 
the  lights  in  the  streets,  takes  possession  of  the  workshops  and 
offices  of  the  national  armory,  seizes  the  three  guards  and  the 
watchman  at  the  Potomac  bridge,  and  posts  a  guard  of  an  nod 
men  on  the  bridge;  on  the  following  day  Brown  arrests  all  the 
citizens  who  appear  in  the  streets,  offering  to  ransom  them  at  a 
slave  a  piece,  and  proclaims  his  mission  to  be  to  "  free  the 
slaves  by  the  authority  of  God  Almighty: "  ..the  news  of  the 
seizure  spreads  rapidly;  Gov.  Wise  communicates  with  the 
Government,  and  calls  out  the  militia;  Brown's  force  in  the 
armory  building  is  attacked  by  the  citizens  and  compelled  to  llee 
to  the  engine-house;  Col.  Robert  E.  Lee  reaches  the  scene  in 
the  afternoon  with  Government  troops,  and  storms  the  engine- 
house  early  the  next  morning;  after  a  brief  struggle,  in  which 
Brown  is  wounded  in  several  places,  the  insurgents  are  cap 
tured;  Brown,  who  had  expected  a  general  rising  of  the  slaves 
at  his  approach,  is  indicted  for  exciting  slaves  to  insurrection 
and  for  treason  and  murder;  he  is  found  guilty  29  Oct.,  and  is 
hanged  at  Charlestown,  Va.,  2  Dec.,  in  the  presence  of  nearly 
3000  militia  and  an  immense  concourse  of  people;  Cook,  Cop- 
poc,  Copeland,  and  Green  are  hanged,  16  Dec.,  and  Stevens 
and  Hazlitt  condemned  to  be  hanged  on  the  16  March,  I860: 
five  whites  and  one  colored  man  effect  their  escape. 

Up  to  30  Sep.,  the  Government  has  disposed  of  388,858,325 
acres  of  public  land,  of  which  147.088,273  have  been  sold  for 
cash,  $180,619,638,  and  241,770,052  donated  in  grants  to  indi 
viduals,  corporations,  and  States,  70,000,000  being  for  school 
purposes,  and  50,000,000  for  railroads  and  internal  improve 
ments. 

Adelina  Patti  makes  her  d&ut  in  opera  in  New  York,  24 
November. 

The  36th  Congress  assembles  5  Dec.;  the  Senate  is  strongly 
democratic,  but  the  House  has  no  clear  majority  for  any  pai  IT; 
directly  after  the  opening  of  the  Senate,  Mr.  Mason,  ofVa., 
submits  a  resolution  for  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to 
investigate  the  matter  commonly  known  as  "  John  Brown's 
raid,  into  Virginia;  "  this  brings  on  a  bitter  political  discussion, 
having  slavery  and  State  rights  for  its  keynote,  and  is  prolonged 
to  the  14th,  when  the  resolution  is  adopted.  In  the  House,  fust 
as  a  second  ballot  is  about  being  taken  for  Speaker,  Mr.  J.  B. 
Clark,  of  Mo.,  proposes  a  preamble  and  resolution,  charging 
certain  nominees  for  the  Speakership  with  having  recommended 
Helper's  "  Impending  Crisis,"  and  declaring  the  doctrines  of 
the  book  insurrectionary;  this,  too,  precipitates  a  lengthy  debate 
on  the  slavery  question,  and  complicates  the  contest  for  Speaker; 
on  the  27  Dec.,  the  House  being  still  unorganized,  the  President 
sends  his  Message  to  each  body;  for  several  days  John  Sher 
man,  of  Ohio,  receives  votes  lacking  from  three  to  live  of  a 
majority;  but  the  Democrats  and  Americans  will  not  unite,  and 
the  Anti-Lecompton  or  Douglas  Democrats  will  not  support  an 
administration  man. 

Col.  E.  L.  Drake,  of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  sinks  the  first  well 
for  petroleum  by  boring  at  Titusville,  Oil  Creek,  Penn. 


192  History  of  the  United  States. 

t 

1359.  Photo-lithography  is  introduced  for  the  purpose  of  publishing 
maps  in  colors. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $83,678,643; 
the  debt  is  $58,754,699;  the  value  of  imports,  $338.768,130;  and 
of  exports,  $356,789,641. 

1860=  Immediately  after  the  holiday  recess,  the  House  resumes  the 
slavery  discussion  and  the  contest  for  Speaker;  Mr.  Smith,  of 
N.  C.,  receives  almost  the  whole  democratic  vote,  27  Jan.,  tlu* 
ballot  being:  Sherman,  10G;  Smith,  112;  Corwin,  4;  scattering 
6;  Mr.  Sherman  withdraws  his  name  (30),  and  the  republicans 
nominate  William  Penm'no'ton,N.  J.,  who  receives  115  votes,  on 
three  ballots,  to  113  for  Mr.  Smith;  the  democrats  substitute  J. 
A.  McClernand,  111.,  for  Mr.  Smith  (31),  and  the  eight  weeks' 
Struggle  terminates,  1  Feb.,  when  Mr.  Pennington  receives  the 
requisite  number  of  votes,  117  to  85  for  Mr.  McClernand. 

The  main  building  of  the  Pemberton  Cotton  Mills,  at  Law 
rence,  Mass.,  suddenly  falls  to  the  ground,  10  Jan.,  carrying 
with  it  all  the  machine]  y  and  several  hundred  operatives;  a  fire 
breaks  out  in  the  ruins  while  efforts  are  being  made  to  extricate 
the  dying  and  wounded,  throwing  the  city  into  great  consterna 
tion;  it  is  subsequently  ascertained  that  117  operatives  were 
killed,  and  112  severely  and  200  more  or  less  wounded,  while 
of  89  others  no  tidings  could  be  gathered. 

Mr.  Coocle,  of  Penn.,  throws  a  firebrand  into  the  House,  5 
March,  by  introducing  two  resolutions  for  the  appointment  of 
a  committee  to  investigate  whether  the  President  or  any  other 
officer  of  the  Government  has,  by  money,  patronage,  or  other 
improper  means,  sought  to  influence  the  action  of  "Congress  or 
any  committee  thereof,  for  or  against  the  passage  of  aiiy  law 
appertaining  to  the  rights  of  any  Territory,  and  also  to  investi 
gate  the  charges  of  improper  use  of  money  to  carry  elections 
and  the  reported  Post-office  and  Navy-yard  abuses;  the  resolu 
tions,  after  considerable  opposition,  are  adopted,  when  (29)  the 
President  protests  against  the  resolutions  as  violating  his  con 
stitutional  rights  and  immunities;  the  committee  makes  an 
elaborate  report  (June). 

Ambassadors  sent  from  the  Emperor  of  Japan  to  ratify  Com 
modore  Perry's  treaty  arrive  at  San  Francisco,  in  the  U.  S. 
PowJiatan,  27  March;  they  are  publicly  received  by  the  State 
authorities,  2  April;  they  proceed  to  Washington  via  New  Yoik 
in  the  U.  S.  S.  Roanoke,  and  are  presented  to  the  President,  to 
whom  they  deliver  the  treaty  for  formal  ratification,  May;  after 
a  series  of  brilliant  receptions  they  return  to  New  York,  where 
they  are  escorted  to  their  hotel  by  the  National  Guard  and  are 
honored  with  a  grand  ball  at  Niblo's  Garden,  18  June;  they 
embark  on  the  U.  S.  S.  Niagara  for  Japan,  29. 

The  Democratic  National  Convention  assembles  at  Charles* 
ton,  S.C.,  23  April,  and  organizes  on  the  following  day  with  Caleb 
Gushing,  Mass.,  as  president;  several  platforms  are  introduced, 
27,  and  referred;  the  platform  modified  by  Mr.  Samuels,  Iowa, 
is  adopted,  30,  whereupon  the  Alabama  delegation  report  that 
they  are  instructed  not  to  acquiesce  in  or  submit  to  any  "squat 
ter  sovereignty1'  platfoorm,  but  to  withraw  from  the  Conven 
tion  ir  case  such  a  one  should  be  adopted,  and  they  accordingly 


Hidonj  of  the  United  Male*;  193 

1860.  take  their  leave;  the  delegations  from  Mississippi,  Louisiana 
(except  two),  South  Carolina,  Florida,  Texas,  Arkansas  (apart), 
and  Georgia  follow  the  example;  after  fifty-seven  balloting*, 
in  which  Senator  Douglas  received  from  145£  to  152.|  votes,  and 
Mr.  Guthrie,  of  Ky.,  the  next  highest,  66£,  the  Convention 
adjourns,  3  May,  t^  meet  in  Baltimore,  18  June;  the  seceding 
delegates  assemble  in  St.  Andrew's  Hall,  and  after  adopting 
the  platform  reported  by  Mr.  A  very,  adjourn  to  meet  in  Rich 
mond,  11  June. 

A  Constitutional  Union  (late  American)  Convention  is  held  in 
Baltimore,  9  May,  under  the  presidency  of  Washington  Hunt, 
N.  Y.;  the  platform  is  embraced  in  the  resolution,  that  it  is 
the  part  both  of  patriotism  and  of  duty  to  recognize  no  political 
principle  other  than  the  constitution  of  the  country,  the  union 
of  the  States,  and  the  enforcement  of  the  laws;  John  Bell,  of 
Tenn.,  is  nominated  for  President,  with  Edward  Everett,  of 
Mass.,  for  Vice-President. 

At  the  Republican  National  Convention,  which  assembles  in 
Chicago,  16  May,  all  the  Free  States  and  the  Slave  States  of 
Delaware,  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  Missouri,  the  Territories  of 
Kansas  and  Nebraska,  and  the  District  of  Columbia  are  repre 
sented;  George  Ashmun,  Mass.,  is  chosen  president;  the  plat 
form  declares  that  the  maintenance  of  the  principles  promul 
gated  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  the  Federal  Con 
stitution,  is  essential  to  the  preservation  of  our  Republican 
institutions,  and  congratulates  the  country  that  no  Republican 
Member  of  Congress  has  uttered  or  countenanced  the  threats  of 
disunion}  the  Convention  decides  to  nominate  by  a  majority 
vote,  and  proceeds  to  ballot,  18;  three  ballots  are  taken,  in  which 
William  H.  Seward  and  Abraham  Lincoln  receive  the  highest 
number  of  votes,  the  latter  on  the  third  ballot  coming  within 
two  and  a  half  votes  of  the  requisite  number;  changes  are  made 
until  Mr.  Lincoln  has  354  of  the  466  votes,  when  his  nomina 
tion  is  made  unanimous;  Hannibal  Hamlin,  Me.,  is  nominated 
for  Vice-President  on  a  second  ballot,  receiving  367  votes  to  99 
for  all  others. 

The  seceders  from  the  Charleston  Convention  meet  at  Rich 
mond,  11  June,  and  adjourn  to  Baltimore,  holding  their  final 
meeting,  28;  twenty-one  States  are  represented;  Caleb  Gushing 
is  chosen  president;  the  Convention  adopts  Mr.  Avery's  Char 
leston  platform,  and  nominates  John  C.  Breckenridge,  of  Ky., 
for  President,  with  Gen.  Joseph  Lane,  Or.,  for  Vice-President 

Pursuant  to  adjournment,  the  National  Democratic  Conven 
tion  re-assembles  in  Baltimore,  18  June;  Benjamin  F.  Butler, 
Mass.,  announces  the  determination  of  a  majority  of  the  dele 
gates  from  his  State  to  withdraw,  and  creates  a  sensation  by  the 
reason,  tiiat  he  will  not  sit  in  a  convention  where  the  African 
slave-trade  is  approvingly  advocated;  on  the  first  ballot,  Senator 
Douglas  has  173^  votes:  Guthrie,  10;  Breckenridge,  5;  scatter 
ing,  3;  on  the  second,  Douglas  has  18H;  Breckenridge,  7^;  and 
Guthrie,  5.$j  whereupon  a  resolution  is"  adopted  formally  nom 
inating  Douglas  for  President;  Benjamin  Fitzpatrkk,  •  Ala., 
is  nominated  for  Vice-President,  but  subsequently  declines, 


194  History  of  the   United  States. 

1860.  when  the  National  Committee  substitutes  Herschel  V.  Johnson, 
Ga. 

William  Walker  again  starts  with  an  expedition  to  Central 
America;  he  lands  on  the  Island  of  Ruatan,  25  June,  and  at 
Truxillo  two  days  later;  he  issues  a  proclamation  announcing 
his  mission  and  prepares  for  an  active  campaign;  the  President 
of  Honduras,  at  the  head  of  an  army  of  700  men,  appears,  23 
Aug.;  at  the  same  time  the  commander  of  a  British  war-vessel 
in  the  harbor  orders  Walker  to  retire;  he  obeys  and  takes  to 
the  coast,  where  he  is  captured  3  Sep.,  taken  to  Truxillo,  tried 
by  court-martial,  condemned,  and  shot  (12  Sep.). 

The  famous  steamship  Great  Eastern  arrives  nt  New  York 
from  England,  28  June,  and,  mooring  in  the  North  River,  is 
open  to  public  inspection  for  several  weeks. 

II.  R.  II.,  the  Prince  of  Wales  reaches  Newfoundland,  23 
July,  and  after  making  an  extended  tour  through  British 
America,  enters  the  U.  S.  at  Detroit,  21  Sep.,  and  goes  to  Wash 
ington  as  the  guest  of  the  President  (3-7  Oct.);  he  reaches  New 
York  City,  11,  and  is  most  enthusiastically  received  by  the 
military  (7000  troops)  and  civil  authorities;  a  grand  ball  (12) 
and  an  immense  torchlight  procession  (13)  are  given  in  his 
honor;  he  visits  the  West  Point  Academy  (15),  is  entertained 
by  the  Governor  at  Albany,  and  by  the  State  authorities  and 
citizens  of  Massachusetts,  at  Boston,  and  takes  his  departure  on 
a  British  man-of-war  from  Portland,  Me.,  20. 

Among  the  other  notable  visitors  of  the  summer  are  the 
Prince  de  Joinville,  uncle  of  the  Comte  de  Paris  and  the  Due 
cle  Chartres,  and  Lady  Franklin,  the  latter  coming  particularly 
to  thank  the  people  of  the  U.S.  for  the  interest  they  have  shown 
for  her  unfortunate  husband,  the  lost  Arctic  explorer. 

A  number  of  slaves  are  captured  by  U.  S.  naval  vessels 
during  the  summer,  off  Cuba,  and  some  1700  slaves  are  quar 
tered  at  Key  West  pending  arrangements  to  send  them  to 
Liberia-  the  U.  S.  S.  Mohican  captures  a  single  slaver  off  the 
coast  ot  Africa,  with  over  800  slaves  on  board. 

Central  Park,  New  York,  is  thrown  open  to  the  public. 

The  dawn  of  this  eventful  year  had  found  the  whole  country 
astir  with  the  gravest  political  excitement.  It  is  election  year,  and 
the  choice  of  the  next  President  assumes  all  the  importance  of 
a  crisis.  The  destinies  of  America  are  in  the  balance.  Political 
parties  are  strangely  divided.  Up  to  this  time  there  had  been 
two  great  parties,  "  Democrats "  and  "Republicans";  these 
become  sub-divided  into  four  parties.  There  are  the  "South 
ern  Democrats"  led  by  John  C.  Breckenridge;  and  the  ''Northern 
Democrats"  with  Stephen  A,  Douglas  at  their  head.  These 
two pani  3S  had  quarreled becau-eDouglas  claimed  that  aTenitory 
had  a  right  to  vote  that  slavery  should  not  exist  within  its 
boundaries  if  a  majority  of  the  people  so  willed  it.  On  this,  a 
third  party  arose,  known  as  the  "Union  and  Constitutional 
Party,"  or  the  "  Bell-Everetts,"  as  they  were  called  from  the 
names  of  their  leaders,  John  Bell  and  Edward  Everett-  The 
fourth  party  is  the  "  Republican  "  party — the  party  thut  fdur 
years  before  had  fought  with  such  intense  enthusiasm  to  place 
Gen.  John  C.  Fremont,  the  dauntless  Pathfinder  of  the  Rocky 


History  of  the   United  ftccttes,  195 

Mountains,  at  the  head  of  the  nation.  An  election  campaign 
unrivalled  in  the  history  of  America  ensues;  on  both  sides 
orators  of  the  highest  order  take  the  platform,  the  pulpit,  and 
the  stump.  Such  men  as  Wendell  Phillips,  Henry  Ward  Bee- 
cher,  and  William  Lloyd  Garrison  come  out  flat-footed  as 
Abolitionists;  and  on  the  other  hand  such  men  as  William  L. 
Gancey  urge  the  Southern  sympathizers  ''by  one  organized, 
conceited  action  ,to  precipitate  the  Cotton  States  into  revolution." 
Throughout  the  campaign  the  idea  of  Secession  as  a  result  of 
the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln  is  discussed  freely  in  speeches, 
at  public  meetings,  and  in  the  press  of  certain  districts.  The 
idea,  at  first  merely  hinted,  steadily  gains  ground,  and  measures 
looking  toward  such  an  alternative  are  carefully  considered. 
The  Southerners  inveigh  loudly  against  what  the)'  call  North 
ern  duplicity;  their  complaint  being  that,  while  the  Republicans 
profess  that  their  anxiety  is  that  Slavery  should  not  be  per 
mitted  in  any  new  State  or  Territory,  they  are  in  reality  intent 
on  destroying  the  Slave-system  of  the  South,  the  system  by 
which  the  chief  industries  of  the  South,  the  sugar  and  cotton 
•culture,  are  conducted.  As  the  day  of  election  draws  near, 
the  conflict  waxes  more  fierce;  the  South  openly  declares 
through  her  Senators  .and  Congressmen,  through  her  news 
papers,  and  in  public  and  private  meetings,  that  "  the  die  is  now 
cast,  "  and  that  if  the  Republicans  elect  their  President,  the 
11  South  will  go  out  of  the  Union." 

After  a  campaign  of  tremendous  excitement  in  all  parts  of 
Union,  the  Presidential  election  (7  Nov.)  shows  the  following 
vital  results:  popular  vote,  Lincoln  and  Hamblin,  1,857,610; 
Douglas  and  Johnson,  1,291,574;  Breckenridge  and  Lane,  850,- 
082;  Bell  and  Everett,  646,124;  electoral  vote,  Lincoln,  180; 
Breckenridge,  72;  Bell,  39;  Douglas,  12. 

The  Slave-States  are  said  to  be  almost  as  much  elated  as  the 
Republicans.  The  way  is  now  clear  for  Secession.  By  pre 
vious  arrangement  the  S.  Carolina  Legislature  is  in  session 
in  Nov.,  when  Lincoln  is  elected,  and  is  the  first  to  take 
action  in  the  direction  of  open  rebellion;  a  Bill  is  introduced 
(10  Nov.)  to  raise  and  equip  10,000  volunteers,  and  (10  Nov.) 
a  Convention  is  ordered  to  consider  the  question  of  Secession. 
The  Georgia  Legislature  votes  $1,000,000  to  arm  the  State, 
and  orders  a  Convention  (18  Nov.);  the  Louisiana  Legislature 
meets  in  extra  session  (10  Dec.),  votes  to  elect  a  Convention, 
and  appropriates  $500,000  to  arm  the  State.  The  S.  Carolina 
Convention  meets  (17  Dec.)  at  Columbia,  S.  C.,  with  D.  F. 
Jamison  as  president,  and  unanimously  adopts  an  ordinance 
of  Secession,  20.  The  State  seizes  (28  Dec.)  the  Custom 
House,  the  Post  Office,  and  the  Arsenal,  occupies  CasLle 
Pinckney  and  Fort  Mo"lf™.-\  adopts  (31  Dec.)  an  oath  of 
abjuration  and  allegiance,  feeiids  Commissioners  to  the  other 
Slave-States  with  a  view  to  form  a  Southern  Confederacy. 

The  great  chain  of  railways  from  Maine  to  Louisiana  is  com 
pleted  (Jan.),  making  a  continuous  railway  of  over  2, 000  miles, 
from  Bangor  to  New  Orleans. 

The  New  York  World  makes  its  first  appearance  (June). 

This  year  is  remarkable  for  the  growth  of  the   petrole>HP 


196  History  of  the   United  States. 

1860.  business;  the  Alleghany  River  valley  becomes  a  wilderness  of 
oil  derricks;  it  is  estimated  that  in  Pennsylvania  alone  2000 
wells  are  bored. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  amount  to  $77,055,125; 
the  debt  is  $64,769,703;  the  value  of  imports,  $362,1 62,541;  and 
of  expoits,  $400,122,296. 

18(31.  The  year  opens  with  dark  forbodings.  Trade  is  generally 
depressed.  The  greatest  anxiety  prevails  concerning  public 
affairs.  Gov.  Ellis,  of  N.  C.,  takes  possession  of  Fort  Maeon, 
at  Beaufort  (2  Jan.),  the  works  at  Wilmington,  and  the  U.  S. 
Arsenal  at  Fayetteville.  On  the  same  day,  troops  from  Georgia 
seize  Forts  Pulaski  and  Jackson,  and  the  U.  S.  Arsenal  at 
Savannah. 

National  Fast-day  by  proclamation  of  the  President  (4  Jan .). 
Observed  generally  by  North  and  Border  States,  but  signifi 
cantly  disregarded  by  the  South.  Fort  Morgan,  at  the  mouti 
of  Mobile  Harbor,  and  the  U.  S.  Arsenal  at  Mobile,  are  seized  by 
State  troops  at  the  command  of  Gov.  Moore,  of  Ala.  The  Con 
vention  of  South  Carolina  agrees  to  send  delegates  to  the  forth 
coming  "  General  Congress  of  the  Seceding  States/' 

Steamer  Star  oftheWest  is  chartered  and  sent  from  New  York 
to  Fort  Sumter,  to  reinforce  Major  Anderson  (5  Jan.).  South 
Carolina  Convention  adjourns. 

State  Conventions  of  Alabama  and  Mississippi  meet  (7  Jan.): 
meeting  of  the  Legislatures  of  Tennessee  and  Virginia.  Senator 
Toombs  makes  his  famous  secession  speech. 

Forts  Johnson  and  Caswell  are  seized  (8  Jan.);  Secretary 
Thompson  retires  from  the  Interior  Department. 

First  shot  of  the  Rebellion  fired  (9  Jan.);  the  Star  of  the  West 
arrives  off  Charleston  and  is  fired  upon  by  the  forts  on  Morris 
Island,  and  driven  back  to  sea.  Mississippi  secedes  from  the 
Union;  the  Convention  passes  the  ordinance  of  Secession  by 
84  to  15.  Florida  secedes  by  a  vote  of  62  to  7  (10  Jan.).  Ala 
bama  secedes,  the  ordinance  passing  by  61  to  39  (11  Jan.). 
Seizure  of  U.  S.  Arsenal  at  Baton  Rouge,  Ports  Phillip  and 
Jackson,  and  Port  Pickens  on  Lake  Ponchartrain,  by  Louisiana. 
New  York  Legislature  votes  to  offer  the  President  th<>  whole 
military  power  of  the  State  for  the  support  of  the  Constitution. 

The  Pensacola  Navy  Yard  is  seized  by  rebels,  and  the  cutter 
Leidff  Cass  is  seized  at  New  Orleans  (12  Jan.). 

The  S.  Carolina  Legislature  declares  that  any  attempt  to  re 
inforce  Fort  Sumter  would  be  accepted  as  an  act  of  war  (14 
Jan.).  The  Senators  from  Mississippi  withdraw  from  the 
Senate. 

In  the  Senate,  Mr.  Clark's  resolution  that  the  Constitution 
ought  to  be  preserved  and  Seression  put  «?^wri,  ?«  carried  in 
opposition  to  the  Crittenden  Compromise  (itf  Jane),  Arkansas 
and  Missouri  vote  to  hold  a  Convention.  Mai.-Gen.  Sanford. 
of  N.  Y.  City,  tenders  the  President  the  services  of  the  First 
Division  of  7000  men  for  any  service  he  may  desire.  Col  Hayne, 
"in  the  name  of  Gov.  Pickens,  demands  of  the  President  the 
surrender  of  Fort  Sumter;  the  President  refuses  to  recognize 
the  Col.  in  any  official  capacity-  -" 


History  of  tlie   United  States.  1#7 

1881.         Batteries  commanding  the  Mississippi  are  erected  at  Vicks- 
burg  (17  Jan.). 

Georgia  secedes,  adopting  the  ordinance  of  Secession  by  208 
to  89  (19  Jan.). 

Alabama  members  of  Congress  resign,  in  consequence  of 
which  Jefferson  Davis  leaves  the  Senate  (21  Jan.). 

The  Louisiana  Legislature  passes  the  Secession  ordinance  by 
113  to  17  (26  Jan.). 

The  Texas  Convention  pass  the  ordinance  of  Secession  by 
166  to  7  (1  Feb.).  Seizure  of  the  Mint  and  Custom  House  at 
New  Orleans  (1). 

The  Delegates  of  the  "  Free  and  Independent  Sovereignties," 
as  the  Seceding  States  call  themselves,  meet  at  Montgomery, 
Ala.  (4  Feb.),  to  organize  a  Confederate  Government.  Howell 
Cobb  is  chosen  chairman.  On  the  same  day,  ex-President 
Tyler  presides  over  a  Peace  Congress  in  Washington.  The 
Montgomery  Convention  organized  provisional  government 
?9  Feb.),  under  the  title  of  "The  Confederate  States  ot  America." 
Jefferson  Davis,  of  Mississppi,  is  elected  President,  and  Alex 
ander  H.  Stephens,  of  Georgia,  Vice-President. 

Abraham  Lincoln  leaves  his  home  in  Springfield,  for  Wash 
ington  (11  Feb.);  many  of  his  personal  friends  accompany  him 
to  the  depot,  where  he  gives  a  brief  address  that  is  as  simple  as 
impressive. 

The  electoral  vote  is  counted  (13  Feb.\  and  Lincoln  and 
Hamlin  are  officially  declared  elected. 

Jefferson  Davis  is  inaugurated  President  of  the  Confederate 
States  of  America  (18  Feb.);  he  appoints  hii  Cabinet  (21  Feb.): 
Toombs,  Secretary  of  State;  Memminger,  Secretary  of  tiio 
Treasury;  L.  P.  Walker,  Secretary  of  ""War.  Several  New 
York  vessels  are  seized  by  order  of  the  Gov.  of  Georgia. 

Abraham  Lincoln  travels  by  night  from  Harrisburg  to  Wash 
ington,  to  prevent  an  anticipated  outrage  in  Baltimore  (22  Feb.). 
Gen.  Twigga   surrenders  Government  property    in  Texas, 
amounting  to  the  sum  oi  $1 ,200,000,  to  the  Confederacy  (23  Feb.), 
and  is  expelled  from  the  army  (1  March). 

Abraham  Lincoln  is  inaugurated  President  (4  March).  The 
oath  of  office  is  ad  ministered  Ly  Chief  Justice  Taney.  In  his 
inaugural  address,  Lincoln  expresses  kindly  feelings  toward  the 
people  of  every  portion  of  the  Republic;  announces  his  deter 
mination  to  administer  the  Government  impartially  for  the  pro 
tection  of  every  citizen  and  every  interest;  but  at  the  same  time 
declares  that  he  will  enforce  the  laws,  protecting  public  prop 
erty,  and  re-possess  that  which  had  been  seized  by  insurgents. 
"Notwithstanding  the  unsettled  state  of  affairs,  the  usual 
pageant  of  an  Inauguration  Ball  is  seen  in  the  evening 
T'::  Ctlt^  C:r_-ention  declares  Texas  out  of  the  Union  (4). 
President  Line  >ln  sends  the  following  nominations  for  his 
Cabtsiet  to  the  Senate  (5  March):  William  H.  Seward,  N.  Y., 
Secretary  of  State;  Salmon  P.  Chase,  Ohio,  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury;  Simon  Cameron,  Penn.,  Secretary  of  War;  Gideon 
Wells,  Conn.,  Secretary  of  the  Navy;  Caleb  Smith,  Ind., 
Secretary  of  the  Interior;  Montgomery  Blair,  Md.,  Postmaster- 
General;  aud  Edward  Bates,  Mo.,  Attorney-General;  the  nonj. 


198  History  of  the  United  States. 

1861.     Inatlons  are  confirmed  by  tfie  Senate.    Gen.  Beauregard  taicee 
command  of  the  Rebel  forces  at  Charleston  (5). 

The  vote  of  Louisiana  for  and  against  Secession  is  published 
(28  May):  for  Secession,  20,448;  against,  17,296. 

The  Virginia  Convention  refuses  by  a  vote  of  80  to  45  to  sub 
mit  a  Secession  ordinance  to  the  people  (4  April). 

Gen.  Beauregard  demands  the  surrender  of  Fort  Sumter  (11 
April),  to  which  Anderson  replies  that  he  will  evacuate  the 
fort  in  five  days  if  he  receives  no  supplies  from  his  Govern 
ment.  Fears  are  entertained  concerning  the  possible  seizure  of 
Washington;  troops  are  posted  all  about  the  Capitol,  and  the 
oath  of  fidelity  is  administered  to  the  men. 

The  Civil  war  begins  (12  April);  Gen.  Beauregard  at  4:30  a, 
m.,  opens  fire  with  80  heavy  guns  and  17  mortars  on  Fort  Sum 
ter.  The  fort  is  defended  by  about  70  men,  who  fight  valiantly, 
in  the  hope  that  the  naval  expedition  which  they  knew  had 
been  sent  for  their  relief  may  arrive  in  time  to  raise  the  seige. 
But  a  heavy  storm  prevents  the  succor  arriving  iu  time.  The 
rebels  fire  at  intervals  all  through  the  night,  but  Sumter  re 
mains  silent. 

About  7  o'clock,  a.  m.  (13  April),  Fort  Sumter  opens  fire. 
In  two  hours  the  quarters  of  the  officers  are  all  in  a  blaze;  at 
10  o'clock  the  flag  is  shot  down;  by  noon  the  whole  fort  is  on 
fire,  and  the  gravest  anxieties  are  expressed  concerning  the 
gunpowder  stored  in  the  fort;  90  barrels  are  rolled  into  the  sea; 
and  now,  hopeless  of  aid,  without  provisions,  and  utterly  pow 
erless,  Major  Anderson  agrees  to  evacuate  the  fort.  Senator 
Wigfall  bears  the  flag  of  truce. 

Major  Anderson  and  his  men  march  out  of  Fort  Sumter  (14 
April)  bearing  the  torn  flag,  the  whole  garrison  retiring  to  the 
government  vessels  hovering  outside  the  harbor.  They  sail 
immediately  to  New  York. 

The  news  of  the  bombardment  and  surrender  of  Foitbum- 
ter  creates  the  wildest  excitement  (15  April).  President  Lincoln 
issues  a  proclamation  calling  for  75,000  volunteers  to  repress 
the  rebellion.  He  also  commands  all  rebels  to  return  to  peace 
and  loyaltj  in  20  days.  All  (lie  country  is  in  a  fever  of  wild 
unrest.  The  Legislature  of  New  York  meets  and  votes  80,000 
men  and  $3,000,000  to  put  down  the  rebellion.  The  Secretary 
of  War  issues  a  requisition  to  the  several  States  to  send  their 
prescribed  quotas  of  the  sinews  of  war.  In  eveiy  city,  town, 
and  village  in  the  Free-labor  States,  the  banner  of  tho  Union  is 
raised.  Public  meetings  are  held,  and  every  indication  is  manifest 
that  the  country  at  large  realizes  that  the  long-dreaded  crisis 
has  come.  The  Seceders  are  no  less  enthusiastic.  Georgia, 
the  Carol  in  as,  and  Virginia  ring  with  the  cry,  "On  to  Washing- 
uOHl  **  Regiments  are  formed  everywhere  to  resist  »v,y  attempt 
't-0  fOK  e  the  seceded  States  back  into  the  Union.  ]  &  j^y  p#£3 
"Walker,  Jefferson  Davis's  Secretary  of  War,  prophecies  con 
cerning  the  Confederate  flag:  "The  flag  that  now  flaunt*  the 
freeze  here  will  float  over  the  dome  of  the  old  Capitol  at 
Washington  before  the  first  of  May.  Let  them  try  Southern 
chivalry ,  a  nd  test  the  extent  of  Southern  resources  ar/\  it  may 
float  eventually  over  Faneuil  Hall .  in  Boston."  ^ 


History  of  tM  United  States.  199 

In  the  Virginia  Convention  it  is  resolved  (17  April)  in  secret  ses 
sion,  by  a  vote  of  60  to  53,  to  submit  the  Secession  Ordinance 
to  the  people.  Jefferson  Davis  issues  a  proclamation  offering 
Letters  of  Marque  and  Reprisal  to  all  who  wish  to  engage  in 
privateering. 

The  loyal  troops  passing  through  Baltimore  on  their  way  to 
Washington  are  assailed  by  a  fierce  and  angry  mob  (19  April). 
After  bearing  for  a  time  a  storm  of  paving-stones  arid  other 
deadly  missiles,  the  6th  Massachusetts  Regiment,  under  com 
mand  of  their  Colonel,  fire  on  the  mob.  A  scene  of  indescribable 
confusion  ensues.  Two  soldiers  are  killed  and  7  wounded, 
while  11  rioters  are  killed  and  many  wounded.  The  Mayor  of 
Baltimore  informs  the  President  that  no  more  troops  can  pass 
through  Baltimore  without  fighting  their  way.  The  steamer 
Star  of  the  West  is  seized  off  Indiauola,  Texas,  by  Confederates 
under  the  command  of  Col.  Van  Dorn.  President  Lincoln 
issues  a  proclamation  by  which  the  ports  of  S.  Carolina, Florida, 
Georgia,  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  and  Texas  are  declared  to  be 
hi  a  state  of  blockade  (19). 

A  great  mass  meeting  is  held  in  New  York,  under  the  presi 
dency  of  John  A.  Dix"(20  April);  Major  Anderson  is  present. 

The  Federal  Government  takes  possession  of  the  Philadelphia 
and  Baltimore  Rail  road  (21  April). 

The  Arsenal  at  Harper's  Ferry  is  burned  by  its  garrison  (21 
April). 

Governor  Letcher  proclaims  Virginia  a  member  of  the  South 
ern  Confederacy  (25  April). 

President  Lincoln  includes  Virginia  and  N.  Carolina  in  the 
blockade  (27  April). 

The  Maryland  House  of  Delegates  vote  against  Secession.  63 
to  13  (29  April). 

The  Connecticut  Legislature  votes  $2,000,000  for  public 
defense  (3  May). 

President  Lincoln  calls  for  42,000  three-years'  volunteers, 
22,000  troops  for  the  regular  army  to  serve  "  during  the  war," 
and  18,000  men  for  the  navy  (3  May). 

Tennessee  secedes  (6  May). 

N.  Carolina  secedes  (~0  May). 

Thirteen  thousand  troops  cross  the  Potomac  into  Virginia  (24 
May).  Alexandria  is  occupied  by  Federal  troops.  Col.  Ells- 
wortnisshot  and  killed  by  Jackson,  at  Alexandria,  and  Jackson 
is  killed  by  a  soldier  of  Ellsworth's.  Arlington  Heights  are  oc 
cupied  by  Union  troops.  Gen.  Butler  declares  all  slaves  con- 
traband  of  war.  All  postal  service  in  the  seceded  States  is 
suspended. 

Hon.  S.  A.  Douglas  dies  in  Chicago  (3  June) ;  he  was  born  at 
Brandon,  Vt.,  23  April,  1813. 

The  Battle  of  Big  Bethel  is  fought  (10  June),  and  Major  Win- 
throp  is  killed;  the  Union  troops  under  General  Pierce  arp 
repulsed. 

A  Fast-day  is  observed  in  the  Rebel  States  (13  June). 

The  Confederates  evacuate  Harper's  Ferry,  after  destroj-Li^ 
all  available  property  (14  June). 

A  Western  Va.  Convention  unanimously  votes  its  lndep?3- 


200  History  of  the  united  States. 

1861.  dence  of  the  seceding  section  of  the  States  (IV  June).  S'X 
seceders  are  killed  in  a  street  fight  in  St.  Louis.  At  the  Battle  of 
Booneville,  Mo.,  the  Rebels  are  routed  with  a  loss  of  60(11). 
General  Patterson  crosses  the  Potomac  at  Williamsport  (17  Jum ). 

General  McClellan  assumes  command  of  the  army  in  Western 
Virginia  (20  June). 

Forty-eight  locomotives  belonging  to  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Railroad,  valued  at  $720,000,  are  destroyed  by  the  Confedeiv 
ates  (23  .June).  Balloon  reconnaissances  commence,  23. 

The  Secession  vote  in  Virginia  (25  June)  stands  128,884  for 
Secession,  82,134  against. 

Iowa  votes  a  war  loan  of  $600,000  (25). 

In  a  skirmish  at  Patterson's  Creek,  Va.,  17  Confederates  ai  d 
1  Union  man  are  killed  (2(3  June). 

The  first  war  loan  of  the  U.S.  Government  is  asked  for,  $25f ,. 
000,000  (1  July).  At  the  battle  at  Buckhannon,  Va.,  the  Con 
federates  are  routed,  with  23  killed  and  200  prisoners  (1  Jul} ). 
Skirmish  at  Falling;  Water,  Va.  (1  July). 

Congress  meets  in  extra  session  (4  July).  New  Hampshire 
votes  a  $1 ,000,000  loan  for  the  war  (4).  A  great  Union  meeth.g 
is  held  in  San  Francisco  (4). 

At  the  battle  of  Carthage,  Mo.,  the  Rebels  lose  350  killed  and 
wounded. 

The  Western  Department,  consisting  of  Illinois  and  tlie 
States  and  Territories  west  of  the  Mississippi  and  east  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  is  put  under  the  command  of  General  J.  C. 
Fremont,  with  headquarters  at  St.  Louis  (6  July). 

At  the  battle* of  Carrickford,  Va.,  General  Garnett  is  killed 
(13).  President  Lincoln  is  authorized  to  call  out  the  militia, 
and  accept  the  services  of  500,000  men  (13). 

The  first  skirmish  of  Bull's  Run  takes  place  (18  July)  nt 
Blackburn's  Ford,  between  Union  troops  under  General  Tyler, 
and  Confederates  under  General  Beauregard;  after  three  hours' 
hard  fighting,  Gen.  Tyler  orders  his  men  to  fall  back  to  Centrc- 
ville;  the  Union  loss  is  19  killed,  38  wounded,  and  26  missing. 

The  Confederate  Congress  meets  at  Richmond  (20  July). 

The  celebrated  battle  of  Bull's  Run  is  fought  (21  July);  Gen. 
Beauregard  lies  at  Manassaswith  a  Confederate  force  variously 
estimated  at  from  30,000  to  40,000  men.  His  position  is  on  the 
banks  of  a  little  stream  in  a  narrow  wooded  valley,  the  ground 
rising  on  either  side  into  "bluffs"  crowned  with  frequent 
patches  of  dense  wood.  Gen.  McDowell,  with  an  army  of  not  less 
than  18,000  men,  fords  the  narrow  stream,  and  at  about  10 
o'clock  in  the  morning  commences  the  attack;  from  the  heights 
on  the  northern  bank  of  the  stream,  the  Federal  army  plays 
upon  the  Confederate  troops;  and  ,the  battle  spreads  far  into  th<> 
,„ — ^,,.,.K,IO.  Woods.  After  fighting  for  ten  hours,  the  Union 
army  ie>  out  t  ie  point  of  winning  the  day,  when  an  unaccount 
able  panic  stizes  the  troops,  and  nearly  the  whole  Federal  force- 
retreats  toward  Washington  in  the  utmost  disorder.  The  Union 
losses  are  479  killed,  1011  wounded,  and  1500  prisoners;  Beau- 
regard  reports  the  Confederate  losses  at  393  killed  and  1200 
wounded.  The  Southerners  are  exultant  at  this  victory,  ant/ 
regard  it  as  an  omen  of  the  final  victory  of  their  cause. 


History  of  the   United  States.  201 

1861*  General  McClellan  is  placed  in  command  of  $ie  Potomac 
army  (23  July).  The  three-months'  volunteers  begin  to  return 
home  (22  July). 

The  Confederates  retreat  from  Harper's  Ferry  to  Leesburg 
(1  Aug.).  Gen.  McClellan  commences  to  reorganize  the  Fed 
eral  army  (1  Aug.). 

The  war-tax  and  tariff  bills  are  passed  by  Congress  (2 
Aug.) ;  500,000  men  are  to  be  raised.  The  battle  of  Dug 
Springs,  Mo.,  is  fought  (2);  the  Confederate  losses  are  40  killed 
and  44  wounded  ;  the  Union  losses,  8  killed  and  30  wounded. 
Fort  Fill  more,  New  Mexico,  is  traitorously  surrendered  by 
Major  Lynde  with  750  men  (2).  Confederate  vessels  and  stores 
are  sunk  in  Pokomoke  Sound  (2). 

Congress  passes  the  Confiscation  Bill,  and  the  bill  for  raising 
$20,000,000  by  direct  taxation  (3  Aug.). 

Galveston  is  bombarded  (5  Aug.).    At  the  battle  of  Athens, 
Mo.,  the  Confederates  are  defeated  with  a  loss  of  40  men  (5). 
The  extra  session  of  Congress  closes  (6  Aug.). 
The  battle  of  Wilson's  Creek,  near  Springfield,  Mo.,  is  fought 
(10  Aug.);  Gen.  Lyon,  with  5200  men,  attacks  24,000  Confeder 
ates  under  McCulloch;  Gen.  Lyons  is  killed  while  heading  a 
charge;  the  Confederate  loss  is  420  killed  and  1300  wounded; 
Hiion  loss,  263  killed,  and  721  wounded. 
President  Lincoln  appoints  26  Sep.  as  a  fast-day  (12  Aug.\ 
The  7tU  Ohio  regiment  are  surprised  by  the  enemy  during 
breakfast  hour,  but  gallantly  fight  their  way  out  (26  Aug.). 

The  Kentucky  Legislature  meets  (2  Sep.-);  in  the  Senate  the 
vote  is  27  for  Union  and  11  for  Secession;  in  the  House,  76  for 
Union  and  24  for  Secession. 

Massacre  on  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  Railroad  (3  Sep.). 
The  bridge  at  Platte  is  burned,  and  17  lives  are  lost. 

President  Lincoln  makes  certain  modifications  in  Fremont's 
Emancipation  proclamation  (11  Sep.). 

General  Fremont  takes  the  field  in  the  cause  of  the  Union  (27 
Sep.).  Skirmishes  take  place  at  many  places  without  any  great 
loss  on  either  side.  Within  one  week,  Black  River,  Gowans- 
ville,  Tuscrombia,  Osceola,  Papinsville,  Hunter,  Shanghae,  in 
Missouri;  Columbus,  Barboursville,  Ellcott's  Mills,  Smithland, 
Lucas  Bend,  and  Hopkinsville,  in  Kentucky;  and  Romney, 
Catoctin  Mountain,  Levvinsville,  Chapmanville,  Munson's  Hill, 
and  Great  Falls,  in  Virginia,  become  scenes  of  conflict. 

Fifteen  hundred  Confederates  attack  Wilson's  Zouaves  at 
Santa  Rosa  Island  (9  Oct.);  the  Zouaves,  with  the  help  of  Fort 
Pickens,  win  the  day. 

The  Confederate  ironclad  Merrimae  makes  its  first  appear 
ance  in  sight  of  Fort  Monroe  (7  Oct.).  The  Confederate 
steamer  Theodore,  with  Mason  and.  Slideii  on  *  oard,  escapes 
from  Charleston,  S.  C. 

Gen.  Fremont  and  Secretary  Cameron  hold  a. conference.  An 
attempt  is  made  to  burn  the  blockading  fleet  lying  at  the  mouth 
^  of  the  Mississippi;  the  Confederate  ram  is  disabled. 

Secretary  Seward  sends  a  circular  to  the  Governors  of  States 
advising  sea-coast  and  lake  defences  (14  Oct.). 


202  History  of  the  United  States. 

1861.  The  Confederates  are  defeated  at  Linn  Creek,  Mo.  (15  Oct.). 
The  battle  of  Edward's  Ferry  is  fought  (21  Oct.);   Gen.  Stone's 
division  of  1500  men  are  attacked  by  double  their  number  dur 
ing  a  reconnaisance  on  the  Potomac.   After  a  fierce  contest  the 
Union  men  are  driven  back,  and  re-crossing  the  river  in  great 
confusion,  many  are  drowned. 

Major  Zagonyi,  with  part  of  Gen.  Fremont's  body-guard, 
makes  a  gallant  charge  upon  and  utterly  routs  a  Confederate 
force  of  2000  at  Springfield,  Mo.  (26  Oct.). 

The  second  naval  expedition,  consisting  of  80  vessels  and 
15,000  men,  sails  from  Fortress  Momoe  (29  Oct.).  The  naval 
forces  are  under  Commodore  Dupont;  the  land  forces  under 
Gen.  Sherman. 

Lieut. -Gen.  Scott  resigns  as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
armies  of  theU.  S.  (31  Oct.);  Gen.  McClellan  is  appointed  in  his 
place  (1  Nov.). 

A  party  in  Missouri  pass  an  ordinance  of  Secession  (2  Nov.). 

Maj.-Gen.  Fremont  is  removed  from  his  command  (2  Nov.), 
and  is  succeeded  by  Gen.  Hunter  in  the  command  of  the  West 
ern  Department.  Gen .  Fremont  returns  to  St.  Louis,  ami  is 
received  there  with  the  most  enthusiastic  tokens  of  regard. 

Capt.  Wilkes,  of  the  U.  S.  Navy,  on  the  San  Jacinto,  stops 
the  British  mail-steamer  Trent t  and  takes  off  Mason  and  Slideli,. 
the  Confederate  Commissioners,  as  prisoners  (8  Nov.),  and  takes 
them  to  Boston  (19  Nov.). 

Gen.  Fremont's  staff  are  dismissed  (12  Nov.). 

The  Confederate  Congress  meets  at  Richmond  (18  Nov.). 

Mason  and  Slideli  are  placed  in  Fort  Warren  (24  Nov.). 

A  party  in  Kentucky  pass  an  ordinance  of  Secession  (30  Nov.). 

Gen.  McClellan  directs  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath  in  all 
the  camps  of  the  U.  S.  Army  (30  Nov.). 

Lord  Lyons,  the  British  Minister  at  Washington,  is  instructed 
by  the  British  Government  (30  Nov.)  to  leave  America  within  7 
days,  unless  the  U.  S.  Government  consent  to  the  unconditional 
liberation  of  Mason  and  Slideli. 

Jefferson  Davis  is  elected  President  of  the  Confederate  States 
for  six  years  (30). 

Congress  votes  thanks  to  Capt.  Wilkes  for  capturing  Mason 
and  Slideli  (2  Dec.);  the  foreign  envoys  at  Washington  protest 
against  this  act  (3  Dec.). 

News  comes  from  England  of  a  strong  feeling  concerning  the 
arrest  of  Mason  and  Slideli  (15  Dec.);  the  attitude  assumed  is 
threatening;  troops  are  sent  to  Canada  by  the  British  Govern 
ment  as  a  precaution  against  military  trouble. 

Mason  and  Slideli  are  surrendered  to  the  British  Minister, 
Lord  Lyons  (27  Dec.). 

Banks  in  New  York  and  elsewhere  suspend  cash  payments 
(30  Dec.). 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $85,387,313  ;  the  debt 
is  $90,367,828;  the  imports  are  $345,650,153  ;  and  the  exports, 
$228,699,486.  * 

1862.  Mason  and  Slideli  leave  Fort  Warren  and  sail  for  England  on  the 

British  steamer  Rinaldo  (1  Jan.). 


History  of  the  United  States.  203 

Waldo  P.Johnson  and  Trustan  Polk,  of  Missouri,  are  expelled 
from  the  Senate  (10). 

Simon  Cameron  resigns  his  position  as  Secretary  of  War  (11 
Jan.);  E.  M.  Stanton  is  appointed  in  his  place.  A  gunboat 
action  takes  place  near  Columbus,  Ky.  (11).  The  Confederates 
burn  the  bridges  on  the  Louisville  and  Nashville  Railroad  (11). 

Thomas  defeats  the  Confederates  at  Mill  Springs,  or  Somer 
set,  Ky.;  the  Confederate  General,  Zollicoffer,  is  killed  (19). 

The  Federals  sink  hulks  filled  with  stone  in  the  channels  of 
Charleston  Harbor  (23  Jan.). 

The  Federal  Government  decides  that  the  crews  of  all  captured 
privateers  are  to  be  regarded  as  prisoners  of  war  (3  Feb.).  The 
Confederate  steamer  Ifashville  is  ordered  to  leave  Southampton 
harbor,  Eng.;  the  U.  S.  steamer  Tuscarora  endeavors  to  fol 
low,  but  is  stopped  by  an  English  frigate. 

Commodore  Foote,with  7  gunboats,  attacks  Fort  Henry  on  the 
Tennessee  River;  the  Confederate  commander,  Gen.  Tilghman, 
surrenders  the  fort  unconditionally  (6  Feb.). 

Gen.  Burnside  captures  6 forts  on Roanoke Island  (7,  8  Feb.). 

Elizabeth  City,  N.  C.,  is  surrendered  to  Gen.  Burnside's 
forces  (10  Feb.). 

Grant  captures  FortDonelson,  with  15, 000  prisoners  (16  Feb.). 

The  Confederate  Congress  meets  at  Richmond  (19  Feb.). 

Grant  captures  Nashville,  Tenn.  (23  Feb.). 

Jefferson  Davis  is  inaugurated  at  Richmond  as  President,  and 
A.  H.  Stephens,  as  Vice-President,  of  the  Southern  Confederacy 
(22  February). 

Congress  passes  an  Act  for  the  additional  issue  of  Treasury 
Notes  (22  Feb.);  by  it,  $10,000,000  in  notes  of  less  than  $5  are 
authorized  in  addition  to  the  $50,000,000  previously  authorized. 

President  Lincoln  approves  the  Legal  Tender  Act  passed  by 
Congress  (25  Feb.);  by  it,  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  is 
authorized  to  issue  notes  of  not  less  than  $5  to  the  amount  of 
$150,000,000,  not  bearing  interest,  payable  in  Washington  and  - 
New  York,  the  notes  to  be  legal  tender  for  all  debts,  public 
and  private,  and  to  be  received  and  paid  by  the  Government 
for  all  purposes  except  duties  on  imports  and  interest  on  the 
public  debt;  those  to  be  paid  in  gold. 

The  Confederates  evacuate  Columbus  (27  Feb.).  The  Fed 
erals  occupy  Charlestown,  Va.  (28  Feb.). 

Two  Union  gunboats  and  a  Confederate  battery  have  a  fight 
at  Pittsburg  Landing  (1  March). 

The  Confederate  iron-plated  steamer  Merrimac,  in  Hampton 
Roads,  sinks  the  Federal  ship  Cumberland,  and  compels  the 
Congress  to  surrender  (8  March);  but  is  repulsed  by  the  Federal 
iron-clad  floating  battery  Monitor  (9  March). 

Gen.  McClellan  takes  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
(11  March);  Gen.  Fremont  of  the  Mountain  Department,  and 
Gen.  Halleck  of  the  Mississippi  (11). 

A  severe  battle  commences  at  Pittsburg  Landino-  between  riie 
Federals  under  Grant  and  the  Confederates  under  Johnston  and 
Beauregard;  and  Grant  is  driven  from  his  position  with  severe 
loss  (6  April).  With  the  aid  of  Gen.  Buell's  reinforcements 
Grant  recaptures  (7  April)  the  camps  from  which  he  had  been 


204  History* of  the   United  States. 

1862.  driven.  Over  100,000  men  are. engaged  in  tins  sanguinary 
battle,  and  about  10,000  are  killed  and  wounded  on  each  side, 
Gen.  Johnston  being  among  the  killed. 

Congress  passes  a  bill  abolishing  slavery  in  the  District  of 
Columbia  (11  April);  the  Act  provides  for  a  Commission  to 
remunerate  loyal  owners;  not  over  $300  a  slave  is  to  be  paid; 
and  $1,000,000  is  appropriated  for  the  purpose;  $100,000  an 
also  appropriated  for  then-  colonization.  An  Act  is  also  passed 
abolishing  Slavery  in  the  "  Territories  of  the  United  States.'' 

The  taking  of  New  Orleans  (24  April)  by  a  naval  force  unde<* 
Commodore  Farragut,  aided  by  aland  force  under  Gen.  But 
ler,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  exploits  of  this  eventful  yeai . 
The  city  is  strongly  defended;  75  miles  below  it  are  two  strong 
forts;  and  below  these  a  chain  is  stretched  across  the  river  with 
earth- works  at  each  end;  between  the  forts  and  the  chain 
are  5  rafts  filled  with  inflammable  material,  besides  13  guuboate , 
an  iron-clad  floating  battery,  and  an  iron  ram.  Commodore 
Farragut  cannonades  the  forts  in  vain,  but  saves  his  vessels  froi  \ 
the  burning  rafts  by  seizing  and  extinguishing  each  as  it  floats 
down.  At  last  he  decides  to  attempt  to  run  by  the  forts  with 
his  fleet.  He  accordingly  gets  underway,  and  while  the  fort?, 
the  steamers,  and  the  battery  all  pour  their  fire  upon  the  fleet, 
it  steams  steadily  up  the  river  till  all  danger  is  passed;  the  Union 
vessel  Varuna  alone  sinks  or  disables  6  Confederate  steamers ; 
Farragut  anchors  oft'  the  quarantine  station  (24  April);  and  takes 
possession  of  New  Orleans  (25). 

Gen.  Butler  enters  New  Orleans  with  a  land-force  and  pro 
claims  martial  law  (1  May). 

Morgan,  the  Guerrilla  Chief,  captures  the  IMon  troops  at 
Pulaski,  Tenn.  (2  May). 

President  Lincoln  visits  Fortress  Monroe  (6  May). 

The  Confederates  evacuate  Pensacola  and  destroy  the  Navy- 
yard  (9  May).  Battle  at  Farmington,  Miss.  (9).  Gen.  Hunter 
issues  his  emancipation  proclamation  (9). 

The  iron-clad  steamer  Merrimac  is  blown  up  by  the  Confed 
erates  to  prevent  its  capture  by  the  Union  forces  (11  May). 

Natchez,  Miss.,  surrenders  to  Farragut  (12  May). 

The  Confederates  are  defeated  and  driven  across  the  Chieka- 
hominy,  at  Bottom  Bridge  (17  May). 

The  Seward-Lyons  treaty  between  Great  Britain  and  the  U. 
S.  for  the  suppression  of  the  slave-trade  is  ratified  (20  May). 

General  Pope  is  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Army  of 
Virginia  (26  June).  •*  The  Confederates,  under  Gen.  Robert  E. 
Lee,  attack  McClellan's  right  wing  at  Mechanicsville  (26).  & 

President  Lincoln  gives  approval  to  an  Act  of  Congress  grant 
ing  aid  for  the  construction  of  a  railroad  from  the  Missouri  to 
the  Pacific  Ocean  (1  July);  the  Act  grants  a  subsidy  of  $16,000 
in  Government  bonds  per  mile,  for  the  portion  between  the 
Missouri  and  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains;  $48,000  a  mile 
for  a  distance  of  150  miles  through  the  Rockies;  $32,000  per 
mile  between  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Sierra  Nevada; 
$48,000  per  mile  across  that  range;  and  $32,000  per  mile  for  the 
California  section.  The  Act  also  grants  to  the  Co.  a  right  of 
way  400  feet  in  width  for  the  whole  distance,  and  a  grant  of 


History  of  the  United  States.  205 

12,800  acres  of  laud  on  the  lin«  of  the  road,  for  eachjpiifle  of 
the  railway  constructed. 

President  Lincoln,  in  response  to  the  official  requests  of  the 
Governors  of  18  States,  calls  for  300,000  volunteers  (1  July).  The 
battle  of  Malvern  Hills  closes  a  seven  days'  struggle  with  the 
repulse  of  the  Confederates  (1). 

Gen.  Halleck  is  appointed  Commander  of  all  the  land-forces 
of  the  U.  S.  (11  July). 

The  Confederates  capture  Cynthiana,  Ky.  (17).  President 
Lincoln  sanctions  a  bill  confiscating  the  property  and  emanci 
pating  the  slaves  of  all  persons  who  shall  continue  in  arms 
against  the  Union  for  60  days  (17). 

'  Skirmish  with  slight  loss  to  the  Union  forces  at  Memphis, 
Tenn.  (19). 

Gen.  Halleck  orders  Gen.  McClellan to  evacuate  the  Peninsula 
of  Virginia  (3  Aug.). 

The  vVar  Department  issues  an  order  (4  Aug.)  for  a  draft  of 
300,000  more  men  for  the  service  of  the  U.  S.,  to  serve  for  nine 
months,  unless  previously  discharged;  it  is  also  directed  that  if 
any  State  shall  not  by  the  7,5th  of  August  furnish  its  quota  of 
men,  by  volunteers,  the  deficiency  shall  be  made  up  by  a 
special  draft  from  the  militia. 

Gen.  Robert  McCook  is  murdered  by  Confederates,  while 
wounded  and  riding  in  an  ambulance  (5  Aug.).  Gen.  J.  C. 
Breckenridge  makes  an  unsuccessful  attack  on  Baton  Rouge, 
La.  (5). 

The  Habeas  Corpus  Act  is  ordered  to  be  suspended  (8  Aug.). 
Orders  are  also  issued  for  the  arrest  of  all  persons  found  dis 
couraging  enlistments,  prohibiting  the  issuance  of  passports, 
and  enjoining  newspaper  correspondents  from  accompanying 
the  armies  (8). 

Battle  of  Cedar  Mountain  (9  Aug.). 

The  Confederates  are  defeated  and  driven  back  in  their 
attempt  to  cross  the  Rapidan  (16). 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac  evacuates  Harrison  Landing  (16). 

Gen.  Wright  is  placed  in  command  of  the  Department  of  the 


The  Confederates  get  possession  of  Manassas  (26). 

The  Federals  are  defeated  at  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run, 
and  retreat  undercover  of  the  night  (30). 

The  terrible  battle  of  Chantilly  is  fought  in  the  midst  of  a 
thunder-storm  (1  Sep.);  Gen.  Kearney  is  shot  by  a  Confederate 
soldier  of  whom  he  made  some  enquiry  by  mistake,  supposing 
him  to  be  a  Union  soldier;  Gen.  Stevens  is  also  killed.  Gen. 
Burnside's  army  evacuate  Fredericksburg  (1).  Union  troops 
evacuate  Lexington,  Ky.  (1).  The  Confederates  are  expected 
to  attack  Louisville  (1),  and  there  is  great  excitement  in  Cia- 
cinnati. 

Gen.  Lee,  flushed  with  success,  crosses  the  Potomac  with  his 
army  (5  Sep.),  and  marches  to  Frederick,  the  bands  playing 
••'  Maryland,  my  Maryland."  Gen.  Bragg  enters  Kentucky  on 
hisgrand  raid  (5). 

The  Confederates  occupy  Frederick  (6). 

Alabama  captures  the  whaler  Qcmulgee  (0). 


206  History  of  the   United  States. 

1862.  Gen.  Banks  is  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  fortification* 
in  and  around  Washington  (7).  Gen.  McClellan  takes  tue  field 
at  the  head  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  (7).  Cumberland  Gap 
is  evacuated  by  the  Fedeials  (7). 

The  Confederates  evacuate  Frederick  (9). 

McClellan  enters  Frederick  (12),  and  secures  a  copy  of  Lee's 
orders  to  march;  finding  from  the  enemy's  plans  that  Harper's 
Ferry  is  threatened,  he  moves  slowly  after  their  main  body  (12). 

Lee,  at  bay,  takes  a  strong  position  behind  Antietam  Creek 
(14);  a  desperate  struggle  ensues  at  the  Bridge,  and  both  forces 
are  nearly  destroyed;  reinforcements  come  up,  and  Harper's 
Ferry  surrenders  (15);  the  Confederates  attempt  to  blockade 
the  Ohio  (15);  and  then  re-cross  the  Potomac  into  Virginia  (18). 

President  Lincoln  issues  his  Emancipation  Proclamation  (22 
Sep.) :  "  That  on  the  first  day  of  January,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-three,  all  persons 
held  as  slaves  within  any  State,  the  people  whereof  shall  then 
be  in  rebellion  against  the  United  States,  shall  be  then,  thence 
forth,  and  forever  free  ;  and  the  Executive  Government  of  the 
United  States,  including  the  military  and  naval  authority 
thereof,  will  recognize  and  maintain  the  freedom  of  such  per 
sons,  and  will  do  no  act  or  acts  to  repress  such  persons,  or  any 
of  them,  in  any  effort  they  may  make  for  their  personal  free 
dom."  The  President  expounds  the  meaning  of  this  proclama 
tion  in  the  following  Message  to  Congress:  "  In  giving  freedom 
to  the  slave,  we  assure  freedom  to  the  free,  honorable  alike 
in  what  we  give,  and  what  we  preserve.  We  shall  nobly  save, 
or  meanly  lose,  the  last  best  hope  of  earth.  The  way  is  plain, 
peaceful,  glorious,  just — a  way  which,  if  followed,  the  world 
will  forevei-  applaud,  and  God  must  forever  bless." 

The  slaves  having  been  decided  (Dred  Scott's  case)  to  be 
property,  could  be  confiscated  by  the  army,  the  same  as  any 
other  property,  as  "  contraband  of  war,"  and  had  been  so  de 
clared  by  Gen.  Butler.  After  the  capture  and  confiscation  of 
this  property,  the  question  of  its  disposition  became  an  embar 
rassing  one  to  the  generals  in  the  field,  and  this  proclamation 
made  the  captured  slave  a  freedman.  The  proclamation  ap 
plied  only  to  slaves  owned  by  persons  in  rebellion,  captured 
and  brought  within  the  federal  lines;  but  its  political  effect  was 
to  commit  the  Republican  party  to  an  e»aaan©ipation  policy. 

AConreiftlfoo  of  lo^al  Governors  is  he-M  &  Altoooa,  R>KH. 
(24  Sep.)- 

President  Lincoln  visits  McClellan's  army  and  urges  an  im 
mediate  movement  across  the  '\>tomac  (1  Oct.);  Gen.  Buell's 
army  leaves  Louisville  (1). 

The  battle  of  Corinth  (3). 

Drafting  takes  place  in  Boston  and  Baltimore  (15). 

Gen.  McClellan  is  relieved  of  the  command  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  (5  Nov.),  and  is  succeeded  by  Gen.  Burnside  (5). 

President  Lincoln  enjoins  on  the  forces  the  orderly  observ 
ancc  of  the  Sabbath  (16). 

A  general  order  is  issued  by  the  Government  for  the  release 
of  all  State  prisoners  (22  Nov.). 

Gen.  Banks' s  expedition  sails  for  New  Orleans  (6  Dec,)* 


History  of  the  Uiiited  States.  207 

1862.  Fredericksburg  is  boaibarued  by  the  Union  troops  (11  Dec.), 
under  cover  of  which  they  cross  the  Rappahannock. 

Gen.  Banks  supersedes  Gen.  Butler  at  New  Orleans  (14  Dec.). 

The  Sioux  Indians,  becoming  dissatisfied  with  the  payment  of 
money  claimed  by  them,  take  the  war-path  (26  Dec.);  Little 
Crow'ancl  other  Chiefs  perpetrate  barbarous  outrages  in  Dakota, 
Iowa,  and  Minnesota;  hundreds  of  the  inhabitants  are  butch 
ered;  and  thousands,  driven  from  their  homes,  see  all  they 
possess  burned  by  these  remorseless  wretches.  The  savages 
are  finally  routed.  Thirty-nine  of  them  are  tried,  condemned 
to  death,  and  hanged  at  Mankato,  Minnesota  (26  Dec.). 

The  year  closes  darkly;  in  some  parts  of  the  Southern  States 
especially,  domestic  life  begins  to  feel  the  pitiless  effects  of 
civil  strife.  The  money  issued  by  the  Confederate  Govern 
ment  has  steadily  depreciated  in  value.  Flour  brings  $40  per 
barrel;  salt  $1  per  lb.;  a  pair  of  boots,  $50.  Woolen  clothing  is 
scarce,  and  the  army  depend  largely  on  captures  from  the 
more  ample  Federal  stores.  A  spool  of  thread  came  to  be  worth 
$20,  a  pound  of  sugar,  $75,  and  a  pound  of  black-pepper,  $300; 
coffee  was  a  fabulous  price,  and  ground-beans  became  almost 
equally  costly;  butter,  eggs,  and  white  bread  became  luxuries 
even  for  the  rich. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $570, 841, 700;  the  debt 
is  $514,211,371;  the  imports  are  $205,771,729;  and  the  exports, 
$213,069,519. 

1863.  President  Lincoln  issues  his  Emancipation  Proclamation  (1  Jan.), 

announced  in  Sep.,  1862.  It  specifies  Arkansas,  Texas,  Loui 
siana  (certain  parishes  excepted),  Mississippi,  Alabama,  Florida, 
Georgia,  S.  Carolina,  N.  Carolina,  and  Virginia  (West  Virginia 
and  other  portions  excepted)  as  the  Rebellious  States  to  which 
the  proclamation  applies.  The  excepted  parts  are  for  the  time 
being  left  precisely  as  if  the  proclamation  had  not  been  issued. 
It  continues:  "  I  do  order  and  declare  that  all  persons  held  as 
slaves  within  said  States  or  parts  of  States  are  and  henceforth 
shall  be  free,  and  that  the  Executive  Government  of  the  United 
States,  including  the  military  and  naval  authorities  thereof ,  will 
recognize  and  maintain  the  freedom  of  said  persons.  And  I 
hereby  enjoin  upon  the  people  so  declared  free,  to  abstain  from 
all  violence,  unless  in  necessary  self-defence;  and  I  recommend 
to  them  that  in  all  cases  when  allowed,  they  labor  for  reason 
able  wages.  And  I  further  declare  and  make  known  that  such 
persons  of  suitable  condition  will  be  received  into  the  armed 
service  of  the  United  States,  to  garrison  forts,  positions,  stations, 
and  other  places,  and  to  man  vessels  of  all  sorts  in  said  service. 
And  upon  this  act,  sincerely  believed  to  be  an  act  of  justice, 
warranted  by  the  Constitution  upon  military  necessity,  I  invoke 
the  considerate  judgment  of  mankind  and  the  favor  of  Almighty 
God."  The  number  of  slaves  made  free  by  this  proclamation 
is  about  3,120,000. 

Galveston,  Texas,  is  captured  by  the  Confederates  under  Gen. 
Magruder  (1  Jan.);  the  gunboat  Harriet  Lane  is  captured,  the 
Westjkld  is  blown  up,  Commander  Kenshaw  is  killed,  and  the 
Union  garrison  of  800  are  captured. 


208  History  of  the   United  States. 

1868.  The  Confederates  commence  their  retreat  from  Mttrfreegboro 
(3  Jan.).  The  Federal  army  withdraws  from  before  Vicks- 
burg  (3). 

A  battle  is  fought  at  Springfield,  Mo.,  lasting  10  hours  (8 
Jan.);  losses  equal.  Union  forces  from  Yorktown,  Va.,  make 
a  raid  to  the  Pumunky  River,  destroy  the  ferryboat,  a  steamer, 
and  the  railroad  depot,  and  return  without  loss  (8). 

Gen.  Burnside  is  relieved  of  the  command  of  the  Army  oi 
the  Potomac  (28  Jan.),  and  Gen.  Hooker  is  appointed  in  his 
place.  Gen.  Sumner  and  Gen.  Franklin  are  also  relieved 
from  duty  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  (28).  A  steamer  and 
800  Confederates  are  captured  near  Van  Buren,  Mo.  (28). 

The  Charleston  blockading  fleet  is  attacked  from  the  harbor 
by  three  iron-clad  steamers,  and  the  Mercedita  is  sunk  (31). 

The  Federal  ram  Queeen  of  the  West  runs  the  blockade  at 
Vicksburg  (2  Feb.).  The  negro  brigade  take  Jacksonville,  Fla. 
(2).  Mai. -Gen.  Burnside  is  appointed  to  command  the  Depart 
ment  of  the  Ohio  (2). 

Mortar  boats  open  fire  upon  Vicksburg  (18  Feb.).  A  disloyal 
State  Convention  at  Frankfort,  Ky.,  is  dispersed  by  the 
military  (18). 

President  Lincoln  sanctions  (3  March)  a  Financial  Bill  which 
has  passed  Congress,  the  first  section  of  which  authorizes 
a  loan  of  $300,000,000  for  the  current  fiscal  year,  for  which 
bonds  are  to  be  issued,  payable  at  such  times  as  the  Secre 
tary  of  the  Treasury  may  elect,  at  not  less  than  10  and  not  more 
than  40  years.  A  further  clause  provides  for  the  issue  of 
Treasury  Notes  to  the  amount  of  $400,000,000,  to  run  not  more 
than  three  years,  to  bear  interest  at  six  per  cent.,  and  to  be  legal 
tender.  Fractional  currency  is  to  be  issued  to  the  amount  of 
$50.000,000. 

The  exigencies  of  the  war  render  the  passing  of  the  "Conscrip 
tion  Act"a  necessity  (12  March).  By  this  Act,  all  able-bodied  male 
citizens,  and  all  persons  of  foreign  birth  who  have  declared  their 
intention  of  becoming  citizens,  and  who  have  voted,  between 
the  ages  of  20  and  45,"are  made  liable  to  be  called  into  the  ser 
vice  of  the  country,  unless  specially  excepted.  The  exceptions 
include  the  physically  or  mentally  incapable;  the  only  son  of 
a  widow,  or  of  infirm  parents  requiring  their  son's  labor  frr 
actual  support;  the  only  brother  of  children  without  father  or 
mother,  under  twelve,  dependent  on  him  for  support;  and  the 
father  of  motherless  children  under  twelve  dependent  on  him 
for  support.  The  conscripts  are  divided  into  two  classes: 
First,  all  below  35  years  of  age,  and  all  unmarried  persons 
between  35  and  45;  second,  married  persons  between  35  and 
45.  The  second  class  are  not  to  be  called  into  the  service  till 
the  first  class  are  exhausted.  It  is  estimated  that,  after  allow 
ing  for  all  exceptions,  the  President  has  4,000,000  men  he 
may  call  upon  for  service.  The  Act  also  provides  that  any  per 
son  drafted  may  be  discharged  by  payment  of  a  sum,  not  ex 
ceeding  $300,  to  be  fixed  by  the  Secretary  of  War. 

Admiral  Farragut,  with  seven  of  his  fleet,  passes  Port  Hud 
son  (14  March)  after  a  fierce  engagement,  in  which  the  Missit- 
stypi  is  disabled,  and  then  burned  by  the  Admiral**  orders 


History  of  the   United  States. 

1868.         The  Federal  soldiers  burn  down  the  office  of  the  Jeffersonian 
newspaper,  at  Richmond,  Ind.  (15  March). 

Quantrell,  the  Guerrilla  chief,  attacks  the  Federals  at  Blue 
Springs,  and  wins  a  slight  victory  (22  March). 

A  party  of  blockade-runners  are  captured  at  Poplar  Creek, 
Ind.  (29  March). 

Admiral  Farragut,  with  the  Hartford,  Switzerland,  and  Alba 
tross,  engages  and  passes  the  grand  Gulf  batteries  (1  April);  he 
Sursues  his  course  (2  April)  as  far  as  Red  River,  destroying 
onfederate  gunboats. 

At  Richmond,  Va.,  exasperated  women  create  a  bread  riot 
(2  April). 

At  the  battle  of  Bay  Teche,  La.  (14  April),  the  Confederates 
are  defeated,  and  three  of  their  gunboats,  the  Diana,  Bart,  and 
Queen  of  the  West,  are  destroyed.  The  Union  loss  is  850  men; 
the  Confederate  loss  is  not  estimated.  Gen.  Foster  escapes  from 
Washington,  N.  C.,  by  running  the  Confederate  blockade  in 
the  steamer  Escort  (14). 

Indians  give  trouble,  and  a  great  battle  with  them  is  fought 
at  Medalia,  Minn.  (16). 

Porter's  fleet  of  8  gunboats  and  several  transports  runs  past 
the  batteries  at  Vicksburg  (16). 

The  Confederates  make  a  raid  on  Tompkinsville,  Ky.  (22 
April),  and  the  Court-house  is  burned.  In  Cedar  Co.,  Mo.,  the 
Guerrillas  under  Quantrell  seize  7  Federal  cavalrymen,  and 
after  shameless  treatment,  kill  them  (22).  The  Union  troops 
rout  the  Confederates  at.  Strasburg,  Va.,  with  a  loss  of  40 
men  (22). 

Gen.  Grant's  army  lands  near  Port  Gibson,  Miss.  (30  April); 
defeats  the  Confederates  (1  May),  taking  500  prisoners;  and  he 
begins  his  march  to  Vicksburg. 

At  Monticello,  Ky.,  Gen.  Carter,  with  5000  men,  attacks  the 
Confederates  under  Pegram,  and  drives  them  from  the  field  with 
great  slaughter  (1  May). 

The  6th  and  7th  Illinois  Cavalry,  known  as  "Grierson's  Raid 
ers,"  reach  Baton  Rouge,  La.  (2  May),  having  covered  nearly 
800  miles  in  16  days.  They  had  set  out  on  the  morning  of  17th 
April,  900  strong,  under  the  command  of  Col.  Garrison,  had 
marched  through  the  center  of  Mississippi,  destroying  as  they 
went  railroads,  bridges,  and  stores  of  all  kinds  belonging  to 
the  Confederates.  At  many  points  in  their  adventurous  march 
the  enemy  had  made  great  attempts  to  capture  them,  but  had 
failed.  They  bring  into  Baton  Rouge  over  1000  horses  and 
many  head  of  tattle;  and  are  followed  by  a  band  of  500 
jubilant  negroes. 

The  battle  of  Chancellorsvitte  takes  place  between  the  armies 
of  Hooker  and  Lee  (2  May);  after  a  very  fierce  battle,  in  which 
the  illustrious  "  Stonewall  "  Jackson  is  wounded,  by  mistake, 
by  his  own  men,  the  Federals  are  checked. 

"Stonewall"  Jackson  dies  at  Richmond,  Vi.  (iO  May),  of 
wounds  and  pneumonia,  aged  39. 

The  ship  West  Florida  is  run  ashore  on  Galveston  Island  by 
the  Owasco  and  Kahtadin  (10).  Yazoo  City,  Miss.,  is  captured 


210  History  of  the  United  States. 

1863.     by  gunboats  (13);  the  Confederates  flee,  and  property  to  tha 
value  $2,000,000  is  destroyed. 

A  battle  between  the  Indians  and  Guerrillas  is  fought  {it 
Pontachula,  and  the  Indian  camp  is  utterly  destroyed  (13). 

At  the  battle  of  Champion  Hill,  Miss.,  Grant  drives  the  forces 
under  Pembevton  as  far  as  the  Big  Black  River  (16);  and  th •? 
Federals,  under  Grant  and  Porter,  Invest  Vicksburg  (18);  they 
assault  Vicksburg  (22),  and  are  repulsed  aftei  a  very  heav; 
fight. 

The  Confederates  are  defeated  at  Senatobia,  Miss.  (25). 

The  gunboat  Alert  is  accidentally  burned  at  Norfolk,  Va.(31j. 

Gen.  Hunter  is  removed  from  the  command  of  the  Depart 
ment  of  the  South  (1  June),  and  is  succeeded  by  Gen.  Gilrnorc. 

Gen.  Burnside  lays  an  embargo  on  the  press,  and  prohibit-; 
the  circulation  in  the  Department  of  -Ohio  of  the  N.  Y.  World 
and  the  Chicago  Times  (2  June). 

Three  throusand  Confederate  prisoners  arrive  at  Indian 
apolis  (2). 

President  Lincoln  revokes  the  orders  of  Gen.  Burnside  con 
cerning  the  N  Y.  World  and  the  Chicago  Times  (4). 

A  large  meeting  of  editors  is  held  in  New  York,  concerning 
the  censorship  of  the  press  (9). 

Lee  marches  into  Maryland  (15  June);  great  excitement  pre 
vails,  and  President  Lincoln  calls  for  100,000  men  to  repel  the 
invasion.  Lee  advances  as  far  north  as  Chainbersburg  (16); 
and  Gen.  Milroy  makes  another  unsuccessful  attack  on  Harper's 
Ferry  (16). 

Federal  cavalry  under  Col.  Kilpatrick  encounter  Gen.  Fitz- 
huo-li  Lee's  cavalry  brigade  near  Aldie,  Va.  (17). 

Rear-Admiral  Foote  dies  in  New  York  City  (26  June). 

General  Hooker,  at  his  own  request,  is  relieved  frc  me 
command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  (29  June),  and  is  suc 
ceeded  by  Gen.  Meade.  Gen.  Rosecrans  drives  Gen.  Bragg 
from  Tullahoma  (29). 

The  terrible  battle  of  Gettysburg  begins  (1  July);  Gen.  Geo. 
G.  Meade  commands  the  Union  forces,  with  an  army  of  80,000; 
Gen.  Lee  commands  the  Confederates,  with  an  army  equally 
great.  This  battle  may  be  regarded  as  the  turning-point  of  tin; 
war;  Lee  had  resolved  to  invade  the  North;  he  staked  every 
thing  on  this  battle;  his  plans  seemed  to  be  perfect;  and  the 
valor  of  his  men  has  not  often  been  equalled  in  the  annals  of 
war.  The  magnificent  charge  of  the  Confederates  is  repulsed 
by  the  Federals;  and  after  a  loss  of  something  like  20,000  men 
on  each  side,  Lee  retreats  (3),  and  there  is  an  end  forever  to  any 
idea  of  invading  the  North. 

Gen.  Grant  negotiates  with  Gen.  Pemberton  for  the  surrender 
of  Vicksburg,  which  up  to  this  time  has  rendered  the  Missis 
sippi  impassable  for  vessels,  and  is  regarded  as  the  most  impor 
tant  fortified  place  in  the  South-west,  being  on  a  high  bluff, 
thoroughly  defended  by  batteries  in  all  directions;  Grant  de 
mands  its  unconditional  surrender  (3). 

The  celebration  of  Independence  (lay  is  crowned  by  the  con 
quest  of  Gettysburg,  and  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg  (4  July) 


IBstory  of  the  United  States.  211 

'383.     with  the  forces  under  Pemberton's  command.  Gen.  L«e  retreats 
toward  the  Potomac. 

The  terrible  Draft  Riot*  of  New  York  break  out  (13  July). 
The  clause  in  the  Draft  Act  which  allowed  a  person  drafted  to 
purchase  exemption  for  so  small  a  sum  as  $300  found  little 
favor  with  the  people  at  large,  and  the  laboring  classes  especial 
ly  felt  that  this  was  a  law  for  the  rich  against  the  poor.  While 
a  draft  is  in  progress  in  the  Ninth  District,  New  York,  a  district 
largely  inhabited  by  working-people,  an  armed  mob  attacks  the 
Drafting  Office,  evidently  in  accordance  with  a  well-laid  and 
well-organized  plan.  The  news  of  the  attack  spreads  through 
the  city  like  wild-fire,  and  excited  mobs  assemble  at  every  street 
corner.  The  fact  that  the  militia  regiments  had  been  sent  to 
Pennsylvania  to  withstand  a  Confederate  invasion  had  been 
taken  advantage  of  by  the  rioters;  and  the  police  were  wholly 
insufficient  to  defend  the  city,  which  was  practically  at  the 
mercy  of  the  mob.  The  first  point  of  attack  is  the  Drafting 
Office;  the  drafting- wheel  is  broken  to  pieces,  the  lists  are  scat 
tered,  and  the  building  is  burned.  The  mob  then  assail  the 
negroes;  and  with  cries  of  "Down  with  the  Abolitionists  I 
Down  with  the  nigger  !  Hurrah  for  Jeff  Davis  ! ' r  the  negroes 
are  hunted  down,  bruised,  hung  to  lamp-posts,  and  many,  after 
being  fearfully  mutilated,  are  brutally  killed;  men, women,  and 
children  share  a  common  fate.  An  asylum  for  colored  children 
is  sacked  and  burned,  the  terrified  orphans  fleeing  for  refuge  to 
whatever  shelter  they  could  find.  Gangs  of  desperadoes  patrol 
the  streets,  levying  contributions  on  passers-by,  and  ordering 
men  of  business  to  close  their  stores.  This  dreadful  reign  of 
terror  is  at  last  put  to  an  end,  but  not  till  hundreds  of  lives  have 
been  lost  and  millions  worth  of  property  has  been  destroyed. 
The  draft  is  resumed. 

President  Lincoln,  urged  by  reports  of  the  brutal  treatment 
to  which  the  Federal  soldiers  are  subjected  by  the  Confederates, 
issues  an  order  for  retaliation  (30  July).  Kentucky  is  ascain 
invaded  (30).  Kit  Carson,  with  a  part  of  the  New  Mexico 
regiment,  defeats  the  Navajoe  in  a  severe  fight,  beyond  Fort 
Canby  (30). 

Hostile  Indians  are  defeated  in  Minnesota  by  Gen.  Sibley 
(6  Aug.). 

President  Lincoln  rejects  the  demand  for  the  suppression  of 
the  conscription  in  New  York  State  (7  Aug.). 

Quantrell,  the  Guerrilla  chief,  with  300"  followers,  surprises 
the  town  of  Lawrence,  Kan.,  in  the  middle  of  the  night  (20). 
The  town  is  set  on  fire,  182  buildings  are  burned  to  the  ground, 
$2,000,000  worth  of  property  is  destroyed;  191  persons  are 
killed  and  581  wounded.  Quantrell  lost  about  80  of  his  blood 
thirsty  associates.  • 

Presiclen*-  Lincoln  suspends  the  Habeas  Corpus  Act  (15  Sep.). 

The  Department  of  the  Cumberland  and  the  Mississippi  are 
consolidated  under  Gen.  Grant  (20  Oct.).  Gen.  Bosecrana  is 
succeeded  by  Gen.  Thompson  (20). 

Union  prisoners  in  a  state  ot  starvation  arrive  at  Annapolis 
from  Richmond  (2-9  Oct.);  others  had  died  on  the  journey. 

The  first  Fenian  Convention  is  held  in  Chicago  (7  Nov \ 


212  History  of  the   United  States. 

1863.  General  Sherman's  corps  forms  a  junction  with  Gen.  Thomas 
at  Chattanooga  (16  Nov.). 

The  storming  and  capture  of  "  Lookout  Mountain  "  (24  Nov.); 
Hooker's  celebrated  "  fight  above  the  clouds;  "  Gen.  Bragg  is 
defeated  (24  Nov.). 

Gen.  Longstreet  commences  the  siege  of  Knoxville  (4  Dec.). 

Jefferson  Davis  issues  his  annual  message  (7  Dec.).  U.  S. 
Congress  re-assembles  (7). 

Longstreet's  soldiers  begin  to  desert  at  the  rate  of  from  20 
to  50  per  day  (23  Dec.). 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $895,796,630;  the  debt 
is  $1,098,793,181;  the  imports  are  $252, 919,920;  and  the  exports, 
$305,884,998. 

1864.  A  great  meeting  is  held  at    Cooper   Institute,  New  York,   to 

celebrate  the  First  Anniversary  of  Freedom  (1  .Jan.). 

Gen.  Marston  makes  an  extensive  raid  in  Virginia,  and  cap 
tures  large  quantities  of  stores  (12  Jan.). 

Scout  reports  are  forwarded  to  the  effect  that  3000  Confeder 
ates  at  Port  Pelee,  Canada,  are  ready  for  a  dash  on  Johnson's 
Island  (17  Jan.). 

An  attempt  is  made  to  burn  down  the  house  of  Jeff.  Davis  in 
Richmond  (19  Jan.). 

President  Lincoln  orders  a  draft  for  500,000  men  (1  Feb.). 

A  large  number  of  prisoners,  including  Col.  Streight,  escape 
from  Libby  Prison,  Richmond  (9  Feb.).  One  thousand  and 
twenty-five  bales  of  cotton,  worth  $700,000,  are  burned  at  Wil 
mington  (9).  The  Confederates  flee  from  Jacksonville,  after 
burning  a  steamboat  and  270  bales  of  cotton  (9). 

Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman,  with  his  troops,  leaves  Vicksburg  $ 
Feb.),  and  arrives  at  Meridian,  Miss.,  on  his  great  raid  into  the 
heart  of  the  enemy's  country  (15  Feb.);  he  destroys  the  railway 
communications  of  the  enemy  and  much  stores. 

The  Confederate  Government  salt-works  at  St.  Mark's.  Fla., 
are  destroyed  by  gunboats  (1  March).  Gen.  Thomas,  reinforced, 
marches  against  Dalton  (1). 

Gen.  Grant  is  appointed  to  the  command  of  all  the  armies  (9 
March),  under  the  title  of  Lieut.-General.  He  plans  two  simul 
taneous  movements:  one  against  Richmond,  Va.,  by  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Meade;  the  other 
against  Atlanta,  Ga.,  under  the  direction  of  Gen.  W.  T.  Sher 
man,  who  undertakes  to  march  an  army  across  the  interior  of 
the  rebellious  States,  from  the  mountains  to  the  sea. 

The  Governors  of  Ohio,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Wisconsin,  and  Indi 
ana  offer  to  raise  for  the  General  Government  85,000  men  for 
a  hundred  days  (23  April);  the  Government  accepts  the  offer 
(26  April),  and  appropriates  $20,000,000  for  payment  of  the 
men. 

Grant's  army  moves  across  the  Rapidan,  toward  Chancellors- 
ville  and  the  Wilderness  (3  May). 

The  Bill  for  Reconstruction  is  passed  (4  May). 

A  draft  is  ordered  in  Massachusetts,  New  Jersey,  Ohio, 
Minnesota,  Kentucky,  and  Maryland  (5  May). 

Lee  makes  a  series  of  unsuccessful  attacks  upon  the  Federal 
forces  in  the  Wilderness  (5,  6,  7.  8, 10,  11. 12  May);  during  the 


History  of  the   United  States.  218 


4864.     first  two  days,  in  the  bloody  fray  that  lasted  from  :  v,r 

the  5th  to  sunset  of  the  6th,  15,000  men  on  e--.  -?,  :;«d'i  are 
slaughtered. 

After  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania  Court  House  (9-12  May), 
Grant  telegraphs  to  Lincoln  that  he  proposes  "  to  right  it  out  on 
this  line,  if  it  takes  all  summer." 

Sherman  moves  from  Chattanooga,  Tenn.  (8  May),  o*-  his 
advance  to  Atlanta. 

Nathaniel  Ha\ythorne  dies  (16  May),  aged  60. 

The  S.  Carolina  Union  Convention  meets  at  Beaufort  (17 
May). 

Swell's  attack  on  the  Union  baggage  train  in  rear  of  Grant's 
right  flank  is  repulsed  (18  May). 

Battle  near  Dallas;  Hooker  drives  the  Confederates  two  miles; 
losses,  1500  men  on  each  side  (25).  Grant  crosses  the  Pamun- 
key,  occupies  Hanovertown  (27),  and  reaches  Meehanics- 
ville  (30). 

Grant's  and  Lee's  armies  confront  each  other  from  Hanover 
Court  House  to  Cold  Harbor  (31). 

A  Confederate  attack  on  Hancock's  forces  is  repulsed  (5  Ju~«). 

Marmaduke,  with  3000  men,  is  defeated  at  Columbia,  Ai 
kansas  (5). 

At  the  battle  of  Piedmont^  Va.,  the  Confederates  lose  1500 
prisoners,  3  guns,  3000  stand  of  arms,  and  a  great  number  ot 
killed  and  wounded  (5). 

The  Philadelphia  Sanitary  Fair  opens  (7  June). 

Lincoln  is  re-nominated  for  President,  and  Andrew  Johnson 
for  Vice-President  (8  June). 

Gen.  Hancock  drives  the  Confederates  from  Bottom  Bridge 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  (12  June). 

The  Fugitive-Slave  Law  is  repealed  in  the  House  of  .Repre 
sentatives  (13  June). 

Grant's  army  crosses  the  James  River  (14  June). 

Gen.  Leonidas  Polk  is  killed  at  Pine  Mountain,  Gn  (14)j 
Sherman  advances  toward  Kenesaw  (14). 

Confederate  privateers  have  been  fur  some  time  very  destruc 
tive  to  American  merchant  vessels;  the  tihenaiuloah  has  des 
troyed  34  whale-ships  in  the  Arctic  Seas,  and  the  Alabama  has 
taken  65  vessels.  The  Alabama  is  attacked  (19  June)  by  the  U. 
S.  S.  Eeamaige,  Captain  Winslow,  off  Cherbourg,  France. 
During  the  action,  the  two  vessels  steam  at  the  rate  of  7  miles 
an  hour,  and  swing  round  one  another  in  circles  so  as  to  bring 
their  broadsides  to  bear.  After  describing  7  of  these  circles, 
and  coining  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  each  other,  the  Ala 
bama  is  sunk,  Captain  Semmes  and  his  men  being  picked  up  by 
an  English  yacht. 

Secretary  Chase  resigns  (30  June),  and  Hon.  William  Fessen- 
den  is  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

The  Confederates,  under  Early,  invade  Maryland  (5  July). 

The  Confederates  take  5000  cattle  and  1000  horses  from 
Montgomery  Co.,  and  drive  them  into  Virginia  (15  July). 

Sherman's  army  crosses  the  Chattahoochee  (16  July)  in  pur 
suit  of  Johnston.  Johnston  is  superseded  by  General  Joiai  B. 
Hood  (18). 


214  History,  of  the   United  States. 

1864.  Hood  makes  a  desperat  *  but  unsuccessful  attack  on  Sherman's 
lines  round  Atlanta,  losing  not  less  than  20,000  killed,  wounded, 
and  prisoners  (22  July) ;  Gen.  McPherson  is  killed  by  a  Con 
federate  at  this  battle.  The  Louisiana  State  Convention  adopts 
the  new  Constitution  abolishing  slavery  (22). 

A  mine  containing  six  tons  of  powder,  under  a  Confederate 
fort  at  Petersburg,  explodes,  destroying  the  fort  and  garrison 
(30  July).  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  is  burnt  by  the  Confederates  (30). 

Admiral  Farragut's  fleet  passes  Foils  Morgan  and  Gaines  (f> 
Aug.);  the  Confederate  ram  Tennessee  is  captured,  and  several 
other  vessels  are  destroyed;  and  Fort  Gaines  surrenders,  and 
Fort  Powell  is  evacuated  (5). 

Battle  o£  Sulphur  Springs  Bridge  (11  Aug.). 

Gen.  Grant  seizes  the  \Veldon  Railroad  (18  Aug.). 

Fort  Morgan  surrenders  (23  Aug.). 

McClellan  is  nominated  for  President  by  the  National  Demo- 
cratic  Convention  at  Chicago,  and  Geo.  H.  Pendleton  for  Vice- 
President  (29  Aug.). 

Federal  troops  take  possession  of  Atlanta  (2  Sep.). 

Milroy  attacks  3000  Confederate  cavalry  near  Murfreesboro, 
Tenn.,  and  drives  them  towards  Triune  (3  Sep.).  Sheridan's 
army  moves  forward  from  Charleston  (3). 

The  Confederate  General  John  Morgan  is  killed  near  Green 
ville,  Tenn.  (7  Sep.). 

Sherman's  army  is  concentrated  at  Atlanta  (9  Sep.). 

Grant  drives  picket  lines  across  Plank  lioad,  and  advances 
his  permanent  line  half  a  mile  (10). 

At  the  battle  of  Winchester,  Sheridan  captures  5000  prison 
ers,  all  the  wounded,  and  5  guns  (19 Sep.).  The  steamer  Island 
Queen  is  captured  and  sunk  on  Lake  Erie  (19). 

Forrest  captures  Athens,  Ala.,  and  forces  600  Union  soldiers 
to  surrender  (20). 

Gen.  Grant  advances  his  lines  on  the  north  side  of  the  James 
River  to  within  7  miles  of  Richmond  (28  Sep.). 

The  Confederates  under  Gen.  Sterling  Price  invade  Mis 
souri  (28). 

At  the  battle  of  Strasbourg,  Longstreet  and  Sheridan  fight 
for  three  hours  with  no  advantage  on  either  side  (12  Oct.). 

Sheridan  defeats  the  Confederates  at  Cedar  Creek  (19). 

The  town  of  St.  Albans,  Vt.,  about  15  miles  from  the  Cana 
dian  frontier,  is  raided  by  armed  Confederates  (19  Oct.);  they 
overpower  the  employes  of  three  banks,  lire  on  and  kill  several 
persons,  steal  $200,000  in  money,  and,  taking  all  the  horses 
they  can  find  in  the  streets  or  livery  stables,  escape  to  Ca.  ada, 
where  13  of  them  are  arrested  (21). 

Detroit  is  alarmed  (30  Oct.)  by  reports  that  a  raid  is  to  be 
made  on  the  city  during  the  nig) it;  the  soldiers  are  called  out, 
and  depots  and  public  buildings  are  guarded,  but  no  raid  takes 
place. 

Union  troops  recapture  Plymouth  (31  Oct.). 

The  Presidential  election  takes  place  (8  Nov.);  the  Republican 
candidates,  Abraham  Lincoln,  President,  and  Andrew  John 
son,  Vice-President,  are  elected,  receiving  the  electoral  votes  of 
22  States.  213  in  all.  The  Democratic  Party  had  nominated 


History  of  the   United  States.  215 

1864.  Gen.  George  B.  McClellan  for  President, .and  Geo.  H.  Pendleton 
for  Vice-President.  They  secured  only  the  votes  of  New  Jersey, 
Delaware,  and  Kentucky,  21  in  all.  McClellan  resigns  his  com 
mand  in  the  army  (8). 

General  Sherman  begins  (10  Nov.)  his  great  march  from 
Atlanta  to  the  sea,  the  army  of  60,000  advancing  in  two 
columns  under  Generals  Howard  and  Slocnrn,  and  largely  sub 
sisting  on  what  could  be  found  in  the  fertile  country  through 
which  it  passed. 

Battle  of  Pulaski  (21  Nov.).  The  Confederates  are  defeated 
at  Liberty,  La.,  losing  3  guns  and  300  prisoners  (21). 

At  the  battle  of  Franklin  (30  Nov.),  Hood  is  repulsed  with  a 
loss  of  5000  men,  guns,  flags,  and  1000  prisoners;  the  Union 
loss  is  1500. 

The  blockade  of  Norfolk,  Fernanclina,  ami  Pensacola  ceases 
(1  Dec.).  Gen.  Banks  resumes  the  command  of  the  Gulf 
Department  (1). 

The  second  session  of  the  38th  Congress  meets  (5  Dec.). 

Five  hundred  Indians  are  killed  near  Fort  Lyon,  by  Col. 
Chivington's  force  (9  Dec.). 

Gen.  Thomas  defeats  the  Confederates  under  Gen.  Hood 
near  Nashville,  Tenn.  (14-16  Dec.). 

Sherman  storms  Fort  McAllister  (13  Dec.),  and  enters  Savan 
nah  (21). 

General  Butler  an  i  Admiral  Porter  are  repulsed  in  an  attack 
on  Wilmington  (24-25  Dec,). 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year,  including  payments  on 
loans,  are  $1,298,144,656;  the  debt  is  $1,740,690,489;  the  im 
ports  are  $329,562,895;  and  the  exports,  $320,035,190. 

1865.  The  bulkhead  of  the  Dutch  Gap  Canal  explodes  (1  Jan.).      The 

U.  S.  sloop-of-war  SanJacinto  is  lost  off  the  coast  of  Florida  (1). 

Massachusetts  ratifies  the  Constitutional  Amendment  (3  Jan.). 

Gen.  Grierson  arrives  at  Vicksburg  (5  Jan.),  having  destroyed 
on  his  raid  70  miles  of  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad,  and  30 
miles  of  the  Mississippi  Central  Railroad,  and  having  captured 
600  prisoners  and  1000  contrabands. 

Gen.  Sherman  resumes  his  great  march  northward  (6  June). 
Writing  of  this  march,  he  says:  "  Christmas  found  us  at  Sav 
annah.  Waiting  there  only  long  enough  to  fill  our  wagons, 
we  began  another  march,  which  for  peril,  labor,  and  results, 
will  compare  with  any  ever  made  by  an  organized  army.  The 
floods  of  the  Savannah,  the  swamps  of  the  Combahee  and  the 
Edisto,  the  hio;h  hills  and  rocks  of  the  Santee,  the  flat  quag 
mires  of  the  Pedee  and  Cape  Fear  Rivers,  were  all  passed  in 
mid-winter,  with  its  floods  and  rain,  in  the  face  of  an  accumu 
lating  enemy;  and  after  the  battles  of  Averysborough  and 
Bentonsville,  we  once  more  came  out  of  the  wilderness  to  meet 
our  friends  at  Goldsboro." 

Fort  Fisher  is  taken  (15  Jan.). 

fid  ward  Everett  dies  (15  Jan.),  age<l  71. 

The  monitor  Pafapsco  is  sunk  off  Charleston  (17  Jan.). 

A  meeting  is  held  at  Savannah  to  thank  New  York  and  Bos. 
,jii  for  their  generous  supplies  of  food  and  clothing  (25  Jan.), 


216  History  of  the  United  States. 

1885.         A  debate  is -held  in  the  Confederate  Congress  concerning  the 
enlistment  of  negroes  (26  Jan.). 

Confederate  incendiaries  set  fire  to  Savannah  (27  Jan.). 
The  Confederate  Vice-President,  Alex.  H.  Stephens,  Senator 
R.  M.  T.  Hunter,  and  Judge  Campbell  come  as  Peace  Commis 
sioners  within  Grant's  lines  (30  Jan.).     Sherman  reaches  Sav 
annah  River,  50  miles  above  Savannah  (30). 

President  Lincoln  arrives  at  Fortress  Monroe  to  meet  the 
Confederate  Commissioners  (2  Feb.);  the  meeting  (3)  is  without 
result.  At  Richmond,  gold  is  4,400  per  cent,  premium  (2). 

From  2000  to  8000  of  Gen.  Sherman's  right  column  effect  a 
landing  on  James  Island  (10  Feb.),  two  miles  from  Charleston. 
Gen.   Lee  assumes  supreme  command  of  the  Confederate 
forces  (17  Feb.),  and  recommends  arming  the  blacks. 

Sherman  captures  Columbia,  S.  C.  (17  Feb.).       The  Confed 
erates  evacuate  Charleston,  and  it  is  occupied  (18)  by  Union 
forces  under  Gen.  Gilmore;  200  pieces  of  artillery  and  a  large 
supply  of  ammunition  are  captured;  6000  bales  of  cotton  are 
destroyed;  much  ammunition  stored  in  the  railroad  depot  i« 
destroyed,  and  many  lives  are  lost  by  the   explosion. 
Fort  Anderson,  N.  C.,  is  taken  (19  Feb.). 
Schofield  captures  Wilmington  (22).     The  Confederate  Con 
gress  decrees  that  the  colored  people  shall  be  armed  (22). 

Inauguration  of  President  Lincoln  and  Andrew  Johnson  as 
Vice-President  (4  March).  In  his  inaugural  address  President 
Lincoln  makes  use  of  the  following  memorable  words:  "  With 
malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  all,  with  firmness  in  the 
the  right,  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let  us  strive  on  to 
finish  the  work  we  are  in,  to  bind  up  the  nation's  wounds,  to 
care  for  him  who  shall  have  borne  the  battle,  and  for  his  widow 
and  his  orphans,  to  do  all  whteli  may  achieve  and  cherish  a  just 
and  a  lasting  peace  among  ourselves  and  with  all  nations." 
The  Confederate  Congress  adjourns  sine  die  (17  March). 
The  Confederates  attack  General  Grant  and  are  severely 
defeated  (25  March).  The  three-days'  battle  at  live  Forks  begins 
(31);  Sheridan  turns  Lee's  flank  and  totally  defeats  him 
(1  April);  Lee  retreats  (2).  Richmond  is  taken  (2-3  April). 

General  Lee  and  his  whole  army  surrender  to  Gen.  Grant  at 
Appomattox  Court  House  (8  April). 
The  Union  flag  is  hoisted  over  Fort  Sumter  (12  April). 
On  the  evening  of  14th  April,  President  Lincoln,  Mrs.  Lin 
coln,  Major  Rathbone,  and  Miss  Morris  occupy  a  box  at  Ford's 
Theatre,  Washington;  at  about  half-past  nine  o'clock  J.Wilkes 
Booth  creeps  stealthily  into  the  box,  shoots  the  President, 
rushes  to  the  front  of  the  box,  brandishes  a  large  ':nife, 
ghouts  "Sic  semper  tyrannis!  The  South  is  avenged/'  and 
leaps  on  to  the  stage;  his  spur  catches  in  the  American  flag,  and 
he  breaks  his  leg.  The  ball  enters  just  behind  the  left  ear  and 
todges  in  the  brain;  the  President  is  at  once  removed  to  a 
private  house  opposite  the  theatre. 

About  the  same  hour  an  attempt  is  made  to  assassinate  Sec 
retary  Seward  and  his  son,  both  being  wounded. 

President  Lincoln  dies  at  22  minutes  past  7  o'clock,  a.  m. 
fl5  April).    Johnson  takes  the  oath  of  office  as  President  (15). 


History  of  the   United  States.  21? 

J.Wilkes  Booth,  the  murderer  of  the  President,  after  10  days 
wandering  and  misery,  is  tracked  to  a  barn  near  Bowling  Green, 
Va.,  and  refusing  to  surrender,  is  shot  (26  April). 

Jefferson  Davis  is  captured  (10)  at  Invinsville,  75  miles  south 
of  Macon,  Ga.,  by  the  4th  Michigan  cavalry,  under  Col .Pritchard 
of  Gen.  Wilson's  command;  also  his  wife,  mother,  Postmaster- 
General  Regan,  Col.  Harrison,  private  secretary,  Col.  Johnson, 
and  others. 

The  Confederate  Goyernor,Watts,  of  Alabama  is  arrested  (19). 

The  ram  Stonewall  is  surrendered  (20  May)  to  the  Spanish 
authorities  in  Cuba. 

President  Johnson  proclaims  the  opening  of  the  southern 
ports  (22  May). 

Kirby  Smith  surrenders  (26  May),  and  the  last  armed  Con 
federate  organization  succumbs. 

President  Johnson  proclaims  an  amnesty,with  certain  excep 
tions  (29  May). 

The  Confederate  Gen.  Hood  and  Staff  surrender  (31  May). 

President  Johnson  rescinds  the  order  requiring  passports  from 
all  travelers  entering  the  U.  S.  (22  June). 

The  trial  of  Payne,  Atzerott,  Harold,  and  Mrs.  Surratt  for 
complicity  in  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln  is  concluded 
(29  June);  they  are  found  guilty  (29),  and  executed  (7  July). 

The  President  orders  the  2d,  4th,  5th,  6th,  7th,  9th,  10th, 
14th,  15th,  17th,  20th,  23d,  and  24th  army  corps  to  be  discon 
tinued  as  organizations  (1  Aug.). 

The  trial  of  Captain  Wirz,  the  Andersonville  jailor,  begins 
(21  Aug.). 

A  great  Fenian  meeting  is  held  in  Philadelphia  '16-24  Oct.), 
and  the  Irish  Republic  is  proclaimed. 

A  National  Thanksgiving  for  peace  is  held  (2  Nov.). 

All  restrictions  on  southern  ports  are  removed  (1  Sep.). 

Proclamation  of  the  President  putting  an  end  to  martial  law 
in  Kentucky  (12  Oct.).  Pardon  of  Alexander  Stephens  and 
other  Southern  officials  (12). 

The  Confederate  privateer  Shenandoah  surrenders  at  Liver 
pool  (6  Nov.),  after  having  destroyed  about  30  vessels;  the  crew 
are  released  on  parole  (8),  and  the  vessel  is  given  up  to  the 
American  Consul  (9). 

Captain  Wirz  is  executed  (10  Nov.). 

The  Habeas  Cot  pus  Act  is  restored  in  the  Northern  States 
(1  Dec.). 

The  correspondence  between  the  British  and  U.  S.  Govern 
ments  respecting  the  depredations  of  the  Alabama,  Shenandoah, 
etc.,  begun  in  April,  closes  2  Dec.;  the  Earl  of  Clarendon 
maintains  that"  no  armed  vessel  departed  during  the  war  from 
a  British  port,  to  cruise  against  the  commerce  of  the  U.  S." 

The  39th  Congress  meets,  4  Dec.;  the  Republican  Party  pre 
dominate,  and  move  resolutions  against  the  restoration  of  the 
Southern  States  to  the  Union;  85  members  from  the  Southern 
States  are  excluded  from  Congress. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year,  including  payments  on 
on  loans,  are  $1.897,674,224;  the  debt  is  $2,682,593,026;  the 
Imports  are  1248,555,652;  and  the  exports,  $323,743,187. 


218  l&ttory  of  the  United  States. 

1866.  The  celebration  of  the  centenary  of  American  Methodism  opens 
on  the  first  Sunday  in  Jan.,  and  closes  on  the  last  Sunday  :n 
Oct.  ;  during  this  period,  tlie  sum  of  $8,032,755  is  collected  for 
Church  purposes. 

The  U.  S.  Government,  having  notified  France  that  a  longer 
continuance  of  French  troops  in  Mexico  will  be  disagreeable TX> 
it,  is  informed,  9  Jan.,  that  the  Emperor  will  withdraw  a  por 
tion  in  Nov.,  and  the  remainder  early  next  year;  our  Minist3i 
to  France  is  subsequently  informed  that  military  reasons  w  11 
prevent  any  withdrawals  this  year.  Gen.  Ortega,  a  pretender 
to  the  Presidency,  after  spending  several  months  in  the  U.  S., 
leaves  New  Orleans,  30  Oct.,  and  with  his  suite  is  arrested  at 
Brazog  Santiago,  3  Nov.,  by  order  of  Gen.  Sheridan,  3  Nov. 
Gen.  Sherman  and  Judge  Campbell,  special  commissioners  1.0 
tender  the  sympathy  ancf  support  of  the  U.  S.  to  the  Republican 
Government  of  President  Juarez,  leave  New  York  oh  the  U.  S. 
S.  Susquehanna,  11  Nov.,  and  reach  Vera  Cruz,  27. 

The  civil  authority  held  by  the  Provisional  Governor  of 
Florida  is  transferred  to  the  Governor  elected  by  the  people 
(Gen.  Walker),  17  Jan. 

Congress  passes  a  bill  to  enlarge  the  operations  of  the  Freed- 
men's I5ureau,  6  Feb.;  the  President  vetoes  it,  19,  and  Congress 
passes  it  over  the  veto,  16  July. 

The  President  declares  his  hostility  to  Congress  and  denoun 
ces  the  Reconstruction  Committee  in  a  speecli  at  the  Executive 
Mansion,  22  Feb. 

The  Legislature  of  Georgia  appropriates  $200,000  to  purchase 
corn  for  the  indigent  poor  of  the  State,  12  March. 

Congress  passes  the  Civil  Rights  Bill,  16  March;  it  is  vetoed 
by  the  President,  27,  and  passed  over  his  v?to,  9  April. 

A  proclamation  is  issued  by  the  President,  2  April,  declaring 
the  insurrection  in  the  Southern  States,  excepting  Texas,  at  an 
end. 

An  expedition  for  the  invasion  of  Canada  is  fitted  out  in  New 
York  by  the  Fenian  Brotherhood,  April;  an  invading  force  of 
600  men  gathers  at  Eastport,  Maine;  a  schooner  with  a  cargo 
of  arms  from  New  York  is  seized  on  its  arrival;  Gen.  Meade  is 
placed  in  command  of  the  frontier,  and  British  troops  are  hur 
ried  to  the  front;  a  few  days  later  the  expedition  is  abandoned. 
Head-Center  Stephens  arrives  in  New  York,  10  May,  and  trie.s 
to  reconcile  the  O'Mahony  and  Roberts  factions;  the  latter, 
under  Gen.  Sweeney,  prepare  another  expedition;  U.  S.  Cus 
toms  officers  seize  1200  stands  of  arms  at  Rouse's  Point,  19,  and 
1000  at  St.  Albans,  30.  A  party  of  from  1200  to  1500  cross 
the  Niagara  at  Buffalo,  1  June,  and  seize  Fort  Erie;  a  conflict 
with  Canadian  volunteers  occurs,  2,  in  which  many  Fenians  are 
taken  prisoners;  the  remainder,  attempting  to  return  to  the  U. 
S.,  are  arrested  by  the  U.  S.  gunboat  Michigan;  over  1500  are 
paroled,  the  officers  giving  bail  to  answer  a  charge  of  violating 
the  neutrality  laws.  Over  1000  Fenians  cross  the  line  and  march 
on  St.  Armand,  7,  and  two  days  later  are  attacked  and  routed ; 
Gen.  Sweeney  and  staff  are  arrested  at  St.  Albans,  President 
Roberta  at  New  York,  and  several  other  leaders  at  Buffalo.  Th<* 


History  of  the  United  States.  219 

1866.  sentence  of  the  Fenian  prisoners,  condemned  to  death,  is  com 
muted  by  the  British  Government  on  an  appeal  from  Secretary 
Seward. 

A  riot  occurs  in  Memphis,  Tenn.,  between  the  whites  and 
the  soldiers  of  the  Third  (colored)  artfliery,  1,  2  May,  in  which 
24  negroes  are  killed  and  $120,000  worth  of  property  is 
destroyed. 

Jefferson  Davis  is  indicted  for  complicity  in  the  assassination 
of  President  Lincoln,  by  the  Grand  Jury  of  the  U.  S.  Circuit 
Court  of  Va.,  8  May;  Judge  Underwood  declines  to  release 
him  on  bail,  11  June. 

A  new  Atlantic  cable  is  finished  early  in  May,  and  success 
fully  laid  by  the  Great  Eastern,  27  July;  the  lost  cable  of  1865 
is  picked  up,  1  Sep.,  spliced,  2,  and  laid  without  accident. 

Congress  adopts  the  14th  Amendment  to  the  Constu/Oktion,  13 
June. 

Orders  are  issued,  15  June,  to  garrison  the  newly  established 
military  posts  along  the  new  route  of  travel  to  Montana,  Forts 
Reno,  Kearny,  and  Smith;  the  Indians  warn  the  troops  that 
they  will  resist  the  occupation  of  the  territory,  and,  21  Dec., 
they  kill  the  whole  company  at  Fort  Kearny. 

A  Commercial  Convention  between  the  U.  S.  and  Japan  is 
signed,  25  June. 

Portland,  Me.,  is  visited  by  a  fire,  4  July,  which  destroys 
property  valued  at  over  $10,000,000. 

By  Act  of  Congress,  23  July,  Tennessee  is  formally  restored 
to  the  Union. 

Congress  creates  the  grades  of  Admiral  and  Vice- Admiral  in 
the  navy  and  revives  that  of  General  in  the  army,  25  July; 
Farragut  is  promoted  to  Admiral,  Porter  to  Vice- Admiral, 
Grant  to  General,  and  Sherman  to  Lieutenant-General. 

A  riot  breaks  out  in  New  Orleans,  30  July;  Gen.  Baird,  U.  S. 
A.,  proclaims  martial  law;  Gen.  Sheridan  reports,  1,  2  Aug., 
that  the  Mayor  suppressed  a  convention  by  the  use  of  the  police, 
who  attacked  the  members  and  a  party  of  200  negroes  with 
lire-arms,  clubs,  and  knives. 

A  National  Union  Convention,  held  at  Philadelphia,  14  Aug., 
under  the  presidency  of  Senator  James  E.  Doolittle,  adopts 
resolutions  endorsing  the  President. 

A  Convention  of  workingmen,  held  at  Baltimore,  21  Aug., 
demands  an  eight-hour  law. 

The  corner-stone  of  a  monument  to  the  late  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  is  laid  at  Chicago,  6  Sep.,  in  the  presence  of  the 
President  and  many  distinguished  persons,  Gen.  John  A.  Dix 
delivering  the  oration. 

George  Peabody  makes  another  visit  to  the  U.  S.,  and  assists 
la  the  inauguration  of  the  Peabody  Institute  at  Baltimore,  24 
Oct.;  during  fens  visit  he  increases  his  gifts  to  the  Baltimore 
Institution  to  $1,000,000,  and  gives  $150,000  for  the  founding 
ot  an  Institute  of  Archaeology  at  Cambridge,  $150,000  fora 
Department  of  Physical  Science  at  Yale,  and  $2,100,000  to  a 
boara  of  trustees  for  the  promotion  of  education  m  the  South, 
irrespective  of  race. 


220  History  of  the  United  States. 

1866.  A  gold  medal,  purchased  by  the  subscriptions  of  40,000  French 
citizens,  for  Mrs.  Abraham  Lincoln,  is  delivered  by  a  commit- 
iee  to  u.  S.  Minister  Bigelow,  at  Paris,  1  Dec. 

A  billgrauting  the  elective  franchise  to  citizens  of  the  Dis 
trict  of  Columbia,  irrespective  of  race  or  color,  passes  Congress, 
14  Dec. 

The  U.  S.  frigate  Ironsides,  famous  for  her  services  during 
the  Civil  War,  is  destroyed  by  lire,  at  League  Island,  Penn., 
16  Dec. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $520,809,416:  the  debt 
is  $2,783,425,879;  the  imports  are  $445,512,153;  and  the  exports, 
$550,684,277. 

1867.  The  President  vetoes  the  District  of  Columbia  Bill,  7  Jan.   On 

the  same  day,  Representative  Ashley,  of  Ohio,  charges  him 
with  the  commission  of  acts  which  are  high  crimes  and  misde 
meanors,  for  which  he  ought  to  be  impeached;  and  a  resolu 
tion  instructing  the  Judiciary  Committee  to  investigate  the  sub 
ject  is  adopted  by  a  vote  of  137  to  38. 

A  National  Convention  of  colored  soldiers  and  sailors  assem 
bles  in  Philadelphia,  8  Jan.,  and  votes  thanks  to  Congress  for 
the  exertions  in  their  behalf,  despite  the  oppressive  measures 
of  the  President;  a  National  Equal  Rights  League  Convention 
of  colored  men  assembles  in  Washington,  11,  and  adopts  an 
address  to  Congress,  which  is  presented  to  the  Reconstruction 
Committee. 

The  Bill  for  the  admission  of  Colorado  into  the  Union  is 
adopted,  but  the  President  vetoes  it,  28  Jan.;  the  Bill  for  the 
admission  of  Nebraska  is  also  adopted;  it  is  vetoed,  29  Jan., 
and  passed  over  the  veto,  1  March. 

The  Trustees  of  the  Peabody  Southern  Educational  Fund 
meet  in  New  York  for  organization,  19  Jan.;  the  funds  are 
transferred  to  them,  22  March,  when  they  appoint  Rev.  Dr. 
Barnas  Sears,  president  of  Brown  University,  superintendent 
of  the  fund. 

The  Evangelical  Alliance  of  the  U.  S.  is  organized  in  New 
York,  30  Jan.,  with  William  E.  Do;lge  as  president. 

Mexico  City  is  evacuated  by  the  French,  5  Feb.;  Maximilian 
suddenly  leaves  La  Teja,  and  unites  his  small  force  with  the 
armies  of  Miramon  and  Mejia  at  Queretaro,  where  with  8000 
adherents  they  are  besieged  by  Gen.  Escobedo  during  March 
and  April;  by  the  treachery  of  Gen.  Lopez,  the  Emperor's 
bosom  friend,  the  Liberal  troops  are  admitted  to  the  city,  15 
May,  and  take  the  entire  Imperial  force  prisoners,  15  May;  a 
court-martial  for  the  trial  of  Maximilian  and  Gens.  Miramon 
and  Mejia  assembles,  13  June,  and  condemns  them  to  be  shot, 
16;  despite  the  protest  of  the  Prussian  Minister  to  Mexico  and 
the  appeals  for  clemency  of  Secretary  Seward,  the  sentence  is 
carried  out,  19;  the  body  of  Maximilian  is  given  to  the  Consul- 
Generalof  Austria,  and  after  being  embalmed  is  conveyed  to 
Austria  on  an  imperial  steamer. 

Thaddeus  Stevens,  of  Penn.,  introduces  the  "  Military  Recon 
struction  Bill,"  providing  for  the  division  of  the  insurrectionary 
States  Into  five  military  districts,  into  Congress,  6  Feb.;  it 
passes  the  House,  13,  and  the  Senate,,  with  amendments,  10; 


*/  0*  Unite*  Mate*  221 

1887.  both  Houses  concur  In  it,  2  March,  the  President  vetoes  It  the 
same  clay,  and  Congress  passes  it  over  the  veto.  Subsequently 
the  President  appoints  the  following  commanders:  First^district 


Sickles; 
(Miss,  and 
Gen.  P.  H.  Sheridan. 

An  Act  designed  to  restrict  the  exercise  ot  the  power  of 
appointment  and  removal  by  the  President  is  adopted  by  Con 
gress,  2  March,  vetoed  by  the  President  the  same  day,  and 
passed  over  the  veto. 

Congress  adopts  a  national  bankruptcy  bill,  and  establishes 
a  Department  of  Education,  3  March;  Henry  Barnard,  LL. 
D.,  President  of  St.  John's  College,  Annapolis,  is  appointed 
and  confirmed  Commissioner  of  Education,  16. 

The  40th  Congress  convenes,  4  March;  Schuyler  Colfax  is 
elected  Speaker  of  the  House  for  the  third  time,  and  Edward 
McPherson  is  re-elected  Clerk;  a  supplement  to  the  Reconstruc 
tion  Act  is  concurred  in,  19,  vetoed  by  the  President,  23,  and 
passed  over  the  veto. 

A  treaty  is  signed  between  Jie  U.  S.  and  Russia,  80  March, 
for  the  transfer  of  the  tract  of  land  known  as  Russian  America 
Alaska)  to  the  U.  S.  for  the  gum  of  $7,200,000;  ratifications 
ttTQ  exchanged.  20  June,  and  the  formal  transfer  is  made  to 
Gen.  Rousseau,  at  New  Archangel  (Sitka),  6  Oct. 

An  International  Exposition  of  ait,  science,  manufacture,  and 
industry  is  opened  at  Paris  with  grand  ceremonies,  1  April. 

An  Indian  war  breaks  out  on  the  line  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad,  7  April;  military  operations  are  carried  on  against 
the  hostiles  throughout  the  year  without  satisfactory  results;  in 
the  meantime,  20  July,  Congress  passes  an  Act  to  establish 
peace  with  the  hostile  tribes,  under  which  commissioners  are 
appointed;  they  have  interviews  with  a  number  of  chiefs,  sign 
a  treaty  with  the  Kiowas,  Coinanches,  and  Apaches,  20  Oct., 
and  at  Fort  Laramie,  Nov.,  effect  an  arrangement  by  which 
Red  Cloud,  the  great  Sioux  chief,  will  meet  the  commissioners 
In  the  spring;  all  hostilities  to  cease  in  the  meantime. 

Jefferson  Davis  is  taken  to  Richmond,  Ya.,  18  May,  on  a  writ 
of  habeas  corpus,  and  on  the  application  of  his  counsel  is 
admitted  to  bail  in  the  sum  of  $100,000,  to  appear  at  Richmond, 
36  Nov.  The  following  act  as  sureties  on  the  bond:  Horace 
Greeley,  Augustus  Schell,  N.  Y.;  Aristides  Welsh,  David  K. 
Jackman,  Phila.;  W.  H.  McFarland,  Richard  B.  Haxail,  Isaac 
Davenport,  Abraham  Warwick,  G.  A.  Myers,  W.  W.  Crump, 
James  Lyons,  J.  A.  Meredith,  W.  H.  Lyons,  John  M.  Botts, 
Thomas  W.  Boswell,  and  James  Thomas,  Jr.,  all  of  Virginia; 
on  26  Nov.  the  examination  is  adjourned  to  March  next. 

An  international  monetary  conference  is  opened  at  Paris,  17 
June,  and  closed,  9  July;  the  creation  of  a  unitary  common 
coin  of  gold  is  agreed  to,  and  all  the  governments  represented 
are  asked  to  give  a  definite  answer  to  the  proposition  before 
15  Feb.,  1868. 

The  President  lays  the  corner-stone  of  a  a®w  Maionic  Temple. 
in  Boston,  24  June, 


222  History  of  the   United  States- 

1867.  President  Johnson  asks  Secretary  Stanton  to  resign,  5  Aug.; 
the  Secretary  declines,  and  the  President  removes  him,  12,  and 
appoints  Gen.  Grant  Secretary  of  war  pro  tern  ;  Stanton  retires 
under  protest;  the  President  gives  the  Senate  his  reasons  for 
removing  the  Secretary,  12  Dec. 

The  President  issues  an  amnesty  proclamation  which  covers 
nearly  all  the  whites  of  the  Southern  States,  7  Sep. 

A  large  number  of  American  Episcopal  iairBishops  take  part 
In  a  Pan-Anglican  Synod,  held  in  London,  24-27  Sep. 

The  King  of  Denmark  announces,  25  Oct.,  his  resolution  to 
cede  the  islands  of  St.  Thomas  and  St.  John,  in  the  West  In 
dies,  to  the  U.  S. 

A  convention  of  manufacturers  at  Cleveland,  O.,18,  19  Dec., 
demands  the  full  and  just  payment  of  the  national  debt. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $357,542,675;  the  debt 
is  $2,692,199,215:  the  imports  are  $417,831,571:  and  the  exports, 
$440,722,228. 

i  S38.  The  Senate  refuses  to  approve  of  the  President's  suspension  of 
Secretary  Stanton,  13  Jan.,  and  it  thereby  becomes  void;  Gen. 
Grant  immediately  vacates  the  office  and  Mr.  Stanton  takes  pos 
session;  on  21  Feb.  the  President  again  removes  Mr.  Stanton 
and  appoints  Adjutant-General  Loren/o  Thomas,  U.  S.  A., 
Secretary  ad  interim,',  the  President  notifies  the  Senate,  and  Mr. 
Stanton  the  House,  of  the  action  the  same  day;  Mr.  Stanton 
refuses  to  vacate  the  office,  and  has  Gen.  Thomas  arrested,  22; 
the  House  resolves,  22,  by  a  vote  of  126  to  47,  that  Andivu 
Johnson  be  impeached  of  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors; 
Messrs.  Thaddeus  Stephens,  Penn.;  Benj.  F.  Butler.  Mass.; 
John  A.  Bingham,  Ohio;  George  S.  Boutvvell,  Man.s.;  James  F. 
Wilson,  Iowa;  Thomas  Williams,  Penn.;  and  John  A.  Logan, 
111.,  are  appointed  managers,  on  the  part  of  the  House,  Mr. 
Butler  being  selected  as  chief  prosecutor,  29 :  the  articles  of  im 
peachment  are  accepted  by  the  House,  2  March;  the  Senate 
organizes  as  a  high  court  of  impeachment,  with  Chief  Justice 
Chase  presiding,  5;  the  President  is  summoned  to  the  bar,  7, 
and  appears  by  counsel,  13;  ten  days  are  granted  to  prepare 
an  answer  to  the  indictment;  the  House  denies  every  averment 
in  the  answer,  93,  and  the  trial  opens,  30;  the  examination  of 
witnesses  closes,  22  April;  the  arguments  of  counsel  are  finished, 
6  May,  and  tho  entire  Senate  votes,  26,  when  35  pronounce  the 
President  guilty  and  19  not  guilty;  he  is  therefore  acquitted  by 
one  vote,  Mr.  Stanton  retires  from  office  the  same  day,  and 
Gen.  John  M.  Schotield  is  appointed  and  confirmed  Secretary 
of  War. 

Chicago  has  a  $3,000,000  fire,  23  Jan. 

Barnum'a  Museum,  N.  Y.,  is  destroyed  by  fire,  3  March. 

A  riot  occurs  between  Irish  and  German  emigrants  on  Ward's 
Island,  N.  Y.,  5  March. 

Rev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  Jr.,  is  publicly  admonished  by  Bishop 
Potter,  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Diocese  of  New  York,  after 
trial,  for  having  officiated  in  a  Methodist  church,  14  March. 

Hon.  George  W.  Ashburn,  of  Columbus,  Ga.,  is  assassinated 
by  members  ot  the  Ku-Klux-Klan,  31  March. 


History  of  the  United  States.  22? 

1868.  An  Embassy  from  the  Emperor  of  China,  headed  by  Hon. 
Anson  Burlingame,  the  American  Minister,  reaches  San  Fran 
cisco,  31  March;  after  a  short  stay  the  members  proceed  to 
Washington,  via  New  York,  and  enter  upon  negotiations  for  r 
special  treaty,  containing  additions  to  the  treaty  of  18  June. 
1858;  the  new  treaty  is  signed,  4  July,  and  ratified  by  the  Seu 
ate,  16;  during  the  stay  of  the  Embassy  in  the  U.  S.,  Mr.  Bur 
lingame  and  the  Chinese  princes  are  the  recipients  of  grand 
ovations. 

A  terrible  disaster  occurs  on  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad, 
at  Carr's  Rock,  by  which  over  100  passengers  are  killed,  burned 
to  death,  or  severely  injured,  15  April. 

The  President  unveils  the  memorial  monument  and  statue  of 
"Abraham  Lincoln,  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  15  April. 

The  Union  League  Club,  of  New  York,  gives  its  dedicatory 
reception  in  its  new  building,  16  April. 

A  fire  destroys  the  Ohio  Female  College,  near  Cincinnati, 
under  exciting  circumstances,  23  April. 

A  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Convention,  in  Chicago,  pronounces 
in  favor  of  Gen.  Grant  for  the  Presidency,  19  May. 

The  National  Republican  Convention  is  held  in  Chicago, 
assembling  20  May;  Joseph  R.  Hawley,  of  Conn.,  is  chosen 
permanent  president;  the  platform  denounces  all  forms  of 
repudiation  of  the  national  debt,  and  condemns  the  course  of 
President  Johnson;  Gen.  Grant  is  nominated  for  the  Presidency, 
receiving  650  votes;  on  the  sixth  ballot  for  Yice-Presideut, 
Schuyler  Colfax  is  nominated,  receiving  522  votes. 

Congress  passes  a  Bill,  12  June,  to  admit  North  Carolina, 
South  Carolina,  Louisiana,  Georgia,  Alabama,  and  Florida  to 
representation;  a  Bill  to  admit  Arkansas  is  vetoed  by  the  Presi 
dent,  20,  and  passed  over  the  veto. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  Masonic  Temple,  Philadelphia,  is 
laid,  24  June,  with  imposing  ceremonies. 

The  National  Democratic  Convention  is  held  in  New  York, 
convening  4  July;  Horatio  Seymour  is  chosen  permanent  presi 
dent,  0;  the  platform  demands  the  immediate  restoration  to  all 
the  States  of  their  rights  in  the  Union,  amnesty  for  all  past 
political  offences,  reform  of  abuses  in  administration,  payment 
of  the  public  debt,  and  the  subordination  of  the  military  to 
the  civil  power;  on  the  22d  ballot,,  Horatio  Seymour  is  nomin 
ated  for  President,  receiving  the  entire  vote.  317;  Gen.  Frank 
P.  Blair  receives  the  nomination  for  Vice-President. 

A  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Convention,  held  in  New  York,  4 
July,  under  the  presidency  of  Gen.  William  B.  Franklin, 
pledges  its  delegates  to  support  the  Democratic  Presidential 
nominees. 

An  amnesty  proclamation  !s  issued  by  the  President,  4  July, 
pardoning  all  persons  in  the  Southern  States  except  those  under 
presentment  or  indictment  in  any  court  of  the  U.  S.  having 
competent  jurisdiction. 

Secretary  Seward  issues  a  notice  of  the  adoption  of  the  14th 
Amendment  to  the  Constitution  by  a  majority  of  the  States,  20 


224  History  of  the  United  States. 

(868.  Baltimore  and  its  vicinity  are  visited  by  an  unprecedented 
flood,  24  July. 

Congress  passes  a  Bill  for  the  payment  of  the  national  debt 
and  the  reduction  of  the  rate  of  interest  thereon,  25  July. 

Wyoming  Territory  is  organized  from  portions  of  Dakota. 
Idaho,  and  Utah,  with  an  area  of  93,107  square  miles,  25 
July. 

Gen.  Grant,  as  General-in-Chief  of  the  armies,  issues  a  pro 
clamation,  28  July,  declaring  that  so  much  of  the  Reconstruct 
tion  Acts  as  provided  for  the  organization  of  military   districts 
has  become  inoperative. 

A  tidal-wave,  following  an  earthquake,  at  Arica,  Peru,  13 
Aug.,  capsizes  the  U.  S.  storeship  Fredonia,  destroying $1,800,- 
000  worth  of  naval  stores,  and  carries  the  U.  S.  S.  Wateree  half 
a  mile  on  to  land. 

The  American  yacht  Sappho  is  beaten  in  an  international 
yacht  race,  around  the  Isle  of  Wight,  Eng.,  25  Aug. 

A  severe  earthquake  visits  the  Pacific  Coast,  21  ~OcL..,  doing 
much  damage  in  San  Francisco. 

The  Rev.  James  McCosh,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  of  Scotland,  is 
installed  as  President  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey  (Princeton). 
27  Oct. 

In  the  Presidential  election,  3  Nov.,  Grant  and  Colfax  receive 
3,015,887  popular  and  214  electoral  votes,  and  Seymour  and 
Blair  2,703,249  popular  and  80  electoral  votes. 

Fort  Lafayette,  New  York  harbor,  is  destroyed  by  fire,  1  Dec. 

The  President  issues  a  second  amnesty  proclamation,  25  Dec., 
declaring  unconditionally  and  without  reservation,  a  full  par 
don  and  amnesty  to  every  person  who  participated  in  the  late 
insurrection. 

The  cotton  crop  for  the  year  yields  $250,000,000,  or  $90,000,- 
000  more  than  in  I860. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $377,340,284;  the  debt 
is  $2,636,320,904;  the  imports  are  $371,624,808;  and  the  exports, 
$454,301,713. 

1869.  The  new  suspension  bridge,  connecting  the  village  of  Niagara 
Falls  with  that  of  Clifton,  Canada,  having  the  longest  span  in 
in  the  world,  is  opened,  1  Jan. 

Operations  are  begun  for  the  removal  of  the  obstructions  at 
Hell  Gate,  on  the  East  River,  New  York,  11  Jan. 

The  15th  Amendment  to  the  Constitution,  giving  the  right 
of  suffrage  to  all  citizens  of  the  Republic,  without  regard 
to  race,  color,  or  previous  condition,  is  recommended  by  a  joint 
resolution  of  Congress,  26  Feb.;  it  is  subsequently  ratified  by 
the  requisite  number  of  States. 

Gen.  U.  S.  Grant  is  inaugurated  eighteenth  Presideiii  of  the 
U.  S.,  4  March;  the  41st  Congress  assembles  at  noon,  the  same 
day.  The  Senate,  5,  confirms  the  following  cabinet  appoint 
ments  :  Secretary  of  State,  E.  B.  Washburne,  111.;  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury,  A.  T.  Stewart,  N.  Y.;  Secretary  of  War,  Gen. 
John  A.  Rawlins,  111.;  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Arlolph  E.  Bor'u\ 
Penn.;  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  Gen.  Jacob  D.  Cox,  Ohio; 
Postmaster-General,  John  A.  J.  Creswell,  M<1.;  and  Attorney- 
General,  E.  Kockwood  Hoar.  Mass.  The  appointment,  o?  Mr. 


History  of  the  United  States,  225 

1869.  Stewart  being  illegal,  on  account  of  his  business  occupation, 
his  name  is  withdrawn  and  that  of  George  S.  Boutvvell,  Mass., 
substituted;  Mr.  Washburne  declines,  and  Hamilton  Fish,  N. 
Y.,  is  appointed;  Mr.  Borie  soon  retires,  and  is  succeeded  by 
George  M.  Robeson,  N.  J.;  and  Gen.  Rawlins,  dying,  6  Sep.,  is 
succeeded  by  Gen.  W.  W.  Belknap,-  Iowa. 

The  President  recommends  and  Congress  sanctions  the 
appointment  of  a  number  of  members  of  the  Society  of 
Friends  as  Government  agents  among  the  Indians,  April. 

Dr.  Thomas  Durant  and  Gov.  Leland  Stanford  drive  the  last 
spikes  connecting  the  Union  and  Central  Pacific  Railroads,  at 
Promontory  Point,  Utah,  10  May. 

An  expedition,  fitted  out  in  New  York,  consisting  of  a  large 
body  of  volunteers  and  a  heavy  cargo  of  cannon,  muskets,  and 
ammunition,  under  command  of  Gen.  Jourdan,  lands  on  the 
northern  coast  of  Cuba,  12  May. 

During  the  month  of  June,  a  lay  vote  is  taken  in  all  the 
Methodist  Churches  in  the  U.  S.,  on  the  long-agitated  question 
of  lay  representation;  the  total  vote  cast  is  about  250,000,  of 
which  170,000  are  cast  in  favor  of  the  change,  and  about  80,- 
000  against. 

President  Grant  appoints  Gen.  Babcock,  2  June,  a  special 
agent  to  obtain  information  concerning  the  Dominican  Repub 
lic;  on  his  return  from  the  island,  he  renders  a  repoit  favorable 
to  the  project  of  annexation;  he  is  again  sent  to  the  island  to 
assist  the  U.  S.  Commercial  Agent,  Raymond  H.  Perry,  to  ne- 

§otiate  for  the  annexation  of  the  whole  territory  of  the  Repub- 
c  to  the  U.  S. ;  a  treaty  for  the  annexation  of  the  territory, 
and  a  convention  for  the  lease  of  the  Bay  and  Peninsula  of 
Samana  are  concluded,  29  Nov.;  the  Senate  rejects  the  treaty 
after  an  exciting  debate. 

George  Peabody  again  lands  at  New  York,  10  June:  he  now 
endows  the  Peabody  Museum,  at  Salem,  Mass.,  with  $150,000; 
gives  $30,000  to  Newburyport  for  a  library;  $30,000  to  Phillips 
Academy,  Andover;  $20,000  to  the  Massachusetts  Historical 
Society;  $20,000  to  the  Maryland  Historical  Society;  $25,000  to 
Kenyon  College;  $10,000  to  the  Public  Library  at  Thetford, 
Vt.;  $60,000  to  Washington  College,  Va.;  and  adds  $1,400,000 
to  his  Southern  Education  Fund.  He  leaves  for  London,  80 
Sep.,  and  dies  there,  4  Nov.;  the  funeral  services  are  held  in 
Westminster  Abbey,  12,  and  the  body  is  placed  on  the  British 
turret-steamship  Monarch  for  transportation  to  the  U.  Sn  11 
Dec. 

A  great  musical  jubilee,  projected  by  Patrick  S.  Gilmore,  to 
commemorate  the  restoration  of  peace  in  the  U.  S.  is  held  !n 
Boston,  15,  16,  17,  18,  19  June. 

Two  U.  S.  revenue  cutters  capture  the  tugs  Coole  and  Webb, 
with  Cuban  expeditionists  and  munitions  of  war  on  board,  in 
Long  Island  Sound,  26  Jan.*  it  is  believed  that  a  much  larger 
force,  under  Col.  Ryan,  is  hiding  in  the  vicinity  of  Gardiner's 
Island.  S 

A  soldier's  national  monument,  erected  on  the  battle-field  of 
Gettysburg,  is  dedicated,  1  July,  Gen.  Meade,  the  hero  of  tbe 
fight,  making  the  address. 


226  History  of  the   United  States. 

18*9.         A  colossal  equestrian  statue  in  bronze- of  Washington,  in  the 
Public  Gardens,  Boston,  is  unveiled,  3  July. 

Miss  Ida  Lewis,  the  American  Grace  Darling,  is  presented 
with  a  testimonial  life-boat,  at  Newport,  II.  I.,  5  July. 

The  U.  S.  end  of  the  Franco-American  cable  is  landed  at 
Dnxbury,  Mass.,  23  July. 

Col.  Joseph  Dodd  breaks  ground  in  the  City  Hall  Park,  New 
York,  for  the  new  post-office  building,  9  Aug. 

A  Harvard  College  crew  is  defeated  by  an  Oxford  crew  by 
•  a  length  and  a  half,  in  an  intercollegiate  boat-race,  at  London, 
27  Aug. 

The  shaft  of  the  Avondale  coal-mine,  Penn.,  takes  fire,  6 
Sep.,  and  all  the  men  at  work  in  the  mine,  over  100,  perish,  as 
there  are  neither  means  of  escape  nor  rescue  while  the  fire 
rages. 

A  gold  clique  in  New  York  produces  a  panic,  24  Sep.,  by 
forcing  the  price  of  gold;  it  sells  in  the  morning  at  150,  and  by 
noon  at  162^  ;  the  most  intense  excitement  prevails,  until  the 
Government  announces  that  it  will  relieve  the  market  by  selling 
gold,  when  the  price  falls  to  133. 

An  equinoctial  storm  is  followed,  4  Oct.,  by  unusually  dis 
astrous  Hoods  along  the  entire  Atlantic  coast. 

Pere  Hyocinthe,  the  noted  French  priest,  arrives  at  N.  Y.,  18 
Oct.,  and  is  introduced  to  the  American  public  by  Henry  Ward 
Beecher,  24. 

The  steamer  Cornwall  is  burned  on  the  Mississippi  River, 
below  Cairo,  28  Oct.,  and  200  lives  are  lost. 

A  bronze  monument  to  Bishop  Brownell,  founder  of  Trinity 
College,  Hartford,  Conn.,  the  gift  of  George  W.  Burnham,  is 
unveiled  on  the  college  green,  14  Nov. 

The  Spanish  Government  has  30  gunboats  built  inNewYork; 
they  are  seized  by  U.S.  Marshals  on  a  charge  of  being  intended 
for  war  against  a  friendly  nation,  Peru;  Judge  Blatchford 
releases  them,  14  Dec.,  and  18  leave  under  convoy  of  a  Spanish 
frigate,  19. 

An  (Ecumenical  Council  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  to 
which  a  large  number  of  American  prelates  have  been  sum 
moned,  is  opened  in  Rome,  Italy,  2  Dec. 

During  the  year,  the  President  appoints  J.  Lothrop  Motley, 
U.  S.  Minister  to  Great  Britain,  vice  Reverdy  Johnson,  recalled; 
John  Jay,  Minister  to  Austria;  Andrew  G.  Curtin,  Minister  to 
Russia;  Gen.  Daniel  E.  Sickles,  Minister  to  Spain;  and  Moses 
H.  Grinnell,  Collector  of  the  Port  of  New  York. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $322, 865, 277;  the  debt 
is  $2,588,452,213;  the  imports  are  $437,314,255;  and  the  exports, 
$413,961,115. 

1870.  H.  R.  H.  Prince  Arthur,  son  of  Queen  Victoria,  arrives  in  New 
York  and  is  welcomed  by  Mr.  Thornton,  the  British  Minister, 
21  Jan.;  the  Prince  is  presented  to  President  Grant,  at  Wash 
ington,  24;  a  grand  ball  is  given  in  his  honor,  27;  and  the  citi 
zens  of  Now  York  give  him  a  reception,  1  Feb. 

The  U.  S.  S.  steamer  Oneida  is  struck  by  a  steamer  of  the 
Peninsula  and  Oriental  S.  S.  Line,  about  20  miles  from  Yoko- 


Histvry  of  the   United  States.  227 

1870.     hama,  Japan,  23  Jan. ,  and  sinks  with  over  100  of  her  officers  and 
crew. 

The  remains  of  the  late  George  Peabody  arrive  at  Portland, 
Me.,  on  the  Brftish  man-of-war  Monarch,  which  is  convoyed 
into  the  harbor  by  the  U.  S.  S.  Miantonomah,  Terror,  and  Ply 
mouth,  26  Jan.;  the  remains  are  buried  at  Peabody,  formerly 
South  Danvers,  Mass.,  1  Feb. 

Hiram  R.  Revels,  of  Miss.,  the  first  colored  man  ever  elected  to 
the  U.  S.  Senate,  is  sworn  in,  25  Feb. 

The  President  issues  a  proclamation  announcing  the  ratifica 
tion  of  the  15th  Amendment  by  the  States,  30  March. 

The  floor  of  the  court-room  in  the  Capitol  building,  at  Rich 
mond,  Va.,  while  crowded  with  people  awaiting  an  important 
legal  discussion,  gives  way  without  warning,  and  precipitates 
the  people  and  debris  into  the  Hall  of  Delegates,  a  distance  of 
25  feet,  27  April;  over  60  persons  are  killed  and  125  injured. 

Fenians  begin  congregating  in  force  at  different  points  along 
the  Canadian  border  in  A ew  York  and  Vermont,  22  May.  The 
present  campaign  contemplates  a  movement  into  Wyoming 
Territory,  the  capture  of  the  cannon  and  arms  of  the  British 
expedition  against  Louis  Riel,  and  a  raid  on  the  eastern  frontier 
between  Kingston  and  Montreal.  President  Grant  issues  a  warn 
ing  proclamation,  24:  over  1000  men  gather  at  Burlington, 
and^  nearly  3000  at  St.  Albans,  Vt.;  Gen.  O'Neill  orders  a 
Fenian  advance  early  in  the  morning,  25,  and  shortly  after 
wards  an  engagement  occurs  at  Cook's  Corners,  St.  Armandj 
after  an  hours  skirmishing,  O'Neill  orders  a  rest,  and  retires  to 
a  neighboring  building,  where  he  is  arrested  by  Gen.  George 
Foster,  U.  S.  Marshal;  O'Neill  threatens  resistance,  but  Foster 
forces  him  into  a  carriage  at  the  point  of  a  pistol,  and  drives 
him  through  his  men  to  St.  Albans,  where  he  is  lodged  in  jail. 
Fighting  is  resumed,  but  the  Fenians  are  soon  forced  to  fall 
back  ;  an  engagement  occurs  at  Trout  Kiver,  27,  in  which  the 
invaders  are  routed.  The  subsequent  arrest  of  the  leaders  of 
both  movements  puts  an  end  to  the  scheme. 

Edward  Payson  Westoii  walks  100  miles  within  22  hours  in 
New  York,  25  May. 

The  corner-stone  of  a  monument  to  Baron  Steuben,  of  Revo 
lutionary  fame,  is  laid  1  June,  Horatio  Seymour  delivering 
the  oration. 

The  corner-stone  of  a  new  Masonic  Temple  in  New  York  is 
laid,  8  June,  in  the  presence  of  many  thousand  members  of  the 
fraternity. 

Charles  Dickens  dies  at  Gad's  Hill,  Eng.,  9  June. 

Attorney-General  Hoar  and  Secretary  of  the  Interior  Cox 

resign,  20  June,  and  Amos  T.  Akerman ,  of  Ga. ,  and  Columbus 
Delano,  of  Ohio,  are  appointed  their  successors  respectively. 

By  Act  of  Congress,  8  July,  the  statutes  relating  to  patents 
and  copyrights  are  revised,  consolidated,  and  amended. 

In  the  (Ecumenical  Council,  at  Rome,  Archbishop  Spaulding, 
of  Baltimore,  advocates,  and  Archbishop  Kenifck,  of  St.  Louis, 
opposes,  the  Dogma  of  the  Infallibility  of  the  Pope,  which  U 
adopted,  18  July. 


228  History  of  the  United  States. 

1870.  M.  Prevost-Paradol,  newly  appointed  French  Minister  to  the 
U.  S.,  commits  suicide  a  few  days  after  his  presentation  to  the 
President,  26  July. 

An  ocean  race  between  the  English  yacht  Cambria  and  the 
American  yacht  Dauntless,  from  Queenstown  harbor  to  New 
York,  results  in  a  victory  for  the  former,  which  arrives,  27 
July,  the  time  being  23  days,  5  hours. 

Benjamin  Nathan,  a  highly-respected  and  wealthy  Hebrew 
citizen  of  New  York,  is  found  murdered  in  his  residence,  29 
July;  the  mystery  of  the  crime  remains  unsolved. 

A  most  exciting  yacht  race  occurs,  8  Aug., when  the  Cambria, 
of  the  Royal  Thames  Yacht  Club,  Eng.,  competes  with  the 
vessels  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club,  in  a  challenge  contest  for 
the  America's  Cup,  held  in  the  U.  S.  since  1851;  the  course  is 
around  the  southwest  Spit,  NewYork  Bay,  and  the  Magic  comes 
in  the  winner  of  the  race. 

The  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad  to  Denver,  Col.,  is  completed,  15 
August. 

Admiral  David  G.  Farragut,  U.  S.  N.,  dies  at  Portsmouth,  X. 
H.,  15  Aug.,  aged  69;  the  funeral  is  held  in  NewYork,  30  Sep 
President  Grant  and  other  distinguished  officers  of  the  arm^ 
and  navy  participating. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Franco-Prussian  war,  Preside) it 
Grant  issues  a  neutrality  proclamation,  22  Aug.;  recruiting  in 
New  York  for  the  French  armies,  and  the  presence  there  of 
several  French  war-vessels,  lead  him  to  issue  another,  8  Oct., 
particularly  defining  the  duties  of  citizens  of  a  neutral  nation. 

Gen.  Robert  E.  Lee,  Commander-in-chief  of  the  Confederate 
armies,  dies  at  Lexington,  Va.,  12  Oct.,  aged  62;  the  funeral  is 
held  at  Washington  and  Lee  College,  of  which  he  had  been 
President  since  1866,  15. 

An  earthquake,  manifesting  itself  throughout  the  New  Eng 
land,  Middle,  and  Western  States,  and  the  Canadas,  occurs, 
20  Oct.;  in  New  York  City,  the  earth  vibrates  rapidly,  causing 
great  excitement,  particularly  in  the  public  schools,  by  the 
trembling  of  the  buildings. 

A  convention  is  held  in  Cincinnati,  0.,  25  Oct.,  and  the  ques 
tion  of  the  removal  of  the  National  Capitol  from  Washington 
to  some  western  city  is  warmly  discussed. 

J.  H.  Rainey,  of  S.  C.,  the  first  colored  man  ever  elected  to 
the  U.  S.  House  of  Representatives,  is  sworn  in,  12  Dec. 

In  the  U.  S.  Senate,  Mr.  Morton  introduces  a  resolution  tor 
the  appointment  of  commissioners  to  proceed  to  San  Domingo 
and  inquire  into  all  the  facts  bearing  on  the  question  of  annexa 
tion,  12  Dec. ;  in  the  House— the  same  day — Mr.  Banks  offers  a 
joint  resolution  for  the  appointment  of  commissioners  to  nego 
tiate  a  treaty  with  San  Domingo  for  the  acquisition  of  all  its 
territory  by  the  U.  S.;  Mr.  Morton's  resolution  is  laid  on  the 
table,  but  is  taken  up,  20,  and,  despite  Mr.  Summer's  bitter 
opposition,  is  passed  by  a  vote  of  32  to  9,  30  being  absent;  Presi 
dent  Grant  appoints  Hon.  Benj.  F.  Wade,  Ohio;  President  A, 
D.  White,  of  Cornell  University,  and  Hon.  S.  G.Howe,  Mass., 
commissioners  to  proceed  immediately  to  San  Domingo,  and 


History  of  the  United  States.  229 

1870.  the  U.  S.  S.  Tennessee  is  ord^-ed  into  commission  to  convey  the 
party  thither. 

George  Holland,  the  comedian,  dies  in  New  York,  20  Dec. 
When  his  friends  call  upon  Rev.  Dr.  Sabine  to  officiate  at  the 
funeral  and  open  his  church  for  the  purpose,  he  refuses,  and 
directs  them  to  "the  little  church  round  the  corner"  (the 
Church  of  the  Transfiguration,  on  59th  St.,  east  of  5th  Ave.); 
the  actor  is  buried  therefrom,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Houghton  readily 
consenting  and  officiating. 

During  the  year,  Congress  charters  the  Northern  Pacific 
JRailroad,  and  restores  Georgia,  Mississippi,  Texas,  and  Virginia 
to  representation. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $309,653,560;  the  debt 
is  $2,480,304,797;  the  imports  are  $460,377,587;  and  the  exports, 
$499,092,143. 

1871 .  James  W.  Smith,  the  first  colored  boy  who  had  passed  the  exami 

nation  for  admission  to  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy,,  is  placed  on 
trial  by  court-martial,  7  Jan.;  the  trial  closes,  12,  when  the 
accused  delivers  his  own  defence  to  the  charge. 

The  enumeration  of  inhabitants  of  the  U.  8.  which  began  1 
June,  1870,  is  completed,  9  Jan.;  it  shows  returns  covering 
38,555,983  persons. 

The  Judiciary  Committee  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
receive  a  delegation  of  prominent  ladies,  who  claim  the  right  to 
vote  on  the  basis  of  the  14th  and  15th  Amendments,  11  Jan. 

The  U.  S.  frigate  Tennessee  sails  from  New  York  with  the  San 
Domingo  Commissioners  and  suite,  17  Jan.,  and  arrives  at 
Samana  Bay,  24;  the  Commissioners  separate  and  visit  every 
part  of  the  Republic,  each  being  accompanied  by  members  of 
the  scientific  corps  detailed  to  aid  their  researches;  returning, 
they  land  at  Charleston,  S.  C.,  26  March;  an  elaborate  reportis 
prepared  and  submitted  to  Congress,  with  a  special  message 
from  the  President,  5  April. 

By  Act  of  Congress,  the  income-tax  law  is  repealed,  86  Jan. 

Sir  Edward  Thornton,  the  British  Minister  to  the  U.S.,  under 
instructions  from  his  Government,  proposes  to  Secretary  Fish 
a  joint  commission  for  the  settlement  of  the  troubles  between 
the  U.  S.  and  Great  Britain  growing  out  of  the  fisheries  ques 
tion,  26  Jan.;  Mr.  Fish  replies,  30,  expressing  the  desire  of  the 
President  that  the  Alabama  claims  shall  also  be  discussed,  to 
which  the  Minister  assents.  The  President,  9  Feb.,  nominates 
Hamilton  Fish,  Secretary  of  State;  Robert  C.  Schenck,  U.  S. 
Minister  to  Great  Britain;  E.  R.  Hoar,  Attorney-General  •  Justice 
Samuel  Nelson,  U.  S.  Supreme  Court;  and  George  H.Williams, 
U.  S.  Senator,  as  Commissioners  on  the  part  of  the  U.  S.;  they 
are  confirmed  by  the  Senate,  10.  Queen  Victoria  appoints  the 
Earl  de  Grey  and  Ripon,  Sir  Stafford  Northcote,  Sir  Edward 
Thornton,  Sir  John  A.Macdonald,  and  Prof.  Montague  Bernard, 
Commissioners  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain.  The  High  Joint 
Commission  begins  its  sessions  in  Washington,  27,  Lord  Ten- 
terden  and  J.  Bancroft  Davis,  Assistant  Secretary  of  State, 
acting  as  joint  protocoliste  A  treaty  is  signed  by  the  Commis 
sioners,  8  May,  providing  for  the  settlement  by  the  arbitration 
of  a  mixed  commission  of  all  the  questions  at  issue;  this  treaty 


230  History  of  the   United  States. 

1871.  is  promptly  ratified  by  both  Governments,  and  they  join  in 
asking  the  Emperor  of  Brazil,  the  King  of  Italy,  and  the  Presi 
dent  of  the  Swiss  Confederation  to  appoint  each  an  arbitrator. 
The  Mixed  Commission,  consisting  of  Charles  Francis  Adams, 
U.S.;  Sir  Alexander  Cockburn,  Great  Britain;  ex-President 
Staempfli,  Switzerland;  Count  Sclopis,  Italy;  and  Baron  Itajuba, 
Brazil,  meets  in  Geneva,  and  organizes  early  in  Dec.  The 
British-American  Claims  Commission,  for  other  claims,  is  com 
posed  of  Russell  Gurney,  Great  Britain;  Judge  J.  R.  Fraser, 
U.  S.;  and  Count  Corti,  of  Italy;  the  tribunal  adjourns  to  15 
June  next. 

The  Franco  -  Prussian  war  producing  great  destitution  in 
France,  A.  T.  Stewart  sends  a  $50,000  cargo  of  flour  from  New 
York  to  Havre  direct,  25  Feb.;  the  U.  S.  Government  offers  the 
Supply  and  the  frigate  Worcester  to  convey  American  contribu 
tions;  the  former  is  fitted  out  at  New  York  and  the  latter  at 
Boston,  and  both  sail  early  in  March. 

Congress  passes  a  Bill  for  the  celebration  of  the  Centennial 
of  American  Independence,  3  March. 

A  provision  for  a  Civil  Service  Commission,  contained  in  the 
Appropriations  Bill,  is  adopted  by  Congress,  3  March,  in  accord 
ance  with  which  the  President  appoints  George  William  Curtis, 
Alex.  G.  Caltell,  Joseph  Medill,  D.  A.  Walker,  E.  B.  Ellicott, 
Joseph  II .  Blackfan,  and  David  C.  Cox  members  of  the  first 
Civil  Service  Commission. 

Great  excitement,  politically,  is  produced,  9  March,  by  the 
removal  of  Charles  Sumner  from  the  Chairmanship  of  the 
Senate  Committee  on  Foreign  Relations. 

German  residents  in  the  U.  S.  celebrate  the  victory  of  Prussia 
over  France,  by  grand  demonstrations,  10  April. 

President  Grant  approves  the  "  Ku-Klux  "  Bill,  20  April. 

The  new  Museum  of  Natural  History,  in  Central  Park,  New 
York,  is  opened,  27  April. 

Edward  H.  Ruloff,  an  extraordinary  philologist,  is  hanged 
for  murder,  at  Binghampton,  N.  Y.,  18  May. 

Commander  Self  ridge,  U.  S.  N.,  returns  from  a  surveying 
expedition  across  the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  and  reports  a  feasible 
route  for  a  ship  canal,  July. 

New  York  City  is  convulsed  with  an  Orange  riot,  i2  July,  in 
which  the  police  and  militia  have  several  conflicts,  attended  by 
fatal  consequences,  with  the  Irish  populace. 

The  boiler  of  the  Staten  Island  ferryboat  Westfield  explodes, 
80  July,  at  Whitehall,  New  York,  causing  a  large  loss  of  life. 

A  mass-meeting  of  the  citizens  of  New  York  is  held,  4  Sept., 
to  consider  the  mismanagement  of  the  city  and  county  finances 
and  the  exposures  of  the  Tweed  Ring;  a  committee  of  seventy 
eminent  citizens  is  chosen  to  investigate  the  frauds,  and  Charles 
O'Conor  is  selected  as  legal  adviser;  indictments  are  found 
against  Mayor  Hall,  William  M.Tweed,  Commissioner  of  Public 
Works,  Peter  B.  Sweeney,  Commissioner  of  Parks,  Comptrpllei 
Connelly,  and  others;  they  are  arrested,  26  Oct.  and  admitted 
to  bail;  Connelly  flees  the  country,  and  Tweed  is  again  arrested, 
15  Dec.,  on  a  charge  of  felony. 


History  of  the  fruited  States.  23 1 

1871.  Chicago  has  a  $1  ,,000,000  fire,  7  Oct.  On  the  following  evening 
another  conflagration  breaks  out,  causing  a  loss  of  250  lives 
and  the  destruction  of  17,500 buildings;  more  than  2000  acres  of 
space  are  burned   over,  including  the  business  part  of  the 
city;  upwards  of  98,000  are  rendered  homeless;  the  total  loss 
is  computed  at  nearly  $200,000,000;  the  whole   country  and 
many  European  cities  respond  quickly  and  nobly  to  the  cries  for 
relief. 

The  Grand  Duke  Alexis,  of  Russia,  arrives  at  New  York 
with  a  fleet  of  war  vessels,  19  Nov.;  during  his  stay  in  the  U. 
S.,  he  is  the  recipient  of  extraordinary  attentions  in  official  and 
social  circles. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $292,177,188;  the  debt 
is  $2.353.211,332;  the  imports  are  $541,493,708;  and  the  exports, 
$562518,051. 

1872.  Col.  James  Fisk,  Jr.,  is  shot  in  the  Grand  Central  Hotel  build 

ing,  New  York,  by  Edward  S.  Stokes,  6  Jan.,  and  dies  two  days 
later,  aged  37. 

Gov.  Warmouth,  of  La.,  in  his  message  to  the  Legislature, 
8  Jan.,  charges  enormous  frauds  upon  the  House  of  Represen 
tatives  and  its  Speaker,  Col.  Carter;  the  Carter  party  withdraw 
and  begin  a  movement  for  the  removal  of  Gov.  Warmouth  and 
the  seizure  of  the  State  House;  the  Governor  places  all  the 
military  and  police-force  of  the  State  under  the  command  of 
Gen.  Longstreet;  Carter  calls  upon  the  people  to  arm  and  rally 
at  the  Clay  statue,  11,  but  the  insurrection  is  checked  by  a  notice 
from  Gen.  Emory,  U.  S.  A.,  that  lie  will  interfere  in  case  of  a 
riot. 

The  Rev.  Abraham  de  Sola,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  of 
Oriental  history  in  McGill  University,  Montreal,  the  first  foreign 
clergyman  ever  so  invited,  opens  the  National  House  of  Repre 
sentatives  with  prayer,  9  Jan. 

Munitions  of -war  from  New  York  are  landed  in  Cuba  by  the 
Cuban  steamer  Hornet,  10  Jan. 

The  first  Liberal  Republican  mass-meeting  is  held  at  Jefferson 
City,  Mo.,  24  Jan. 

The  M.  Rev.  Martin  J.  Spaulding,  Roman  Catholic  Arch 
bishop  of  Baltimore  and  Primate  of  the  Church  in  America, 
dies,  7  Feb.,  aged  62;  he  is  succeeded  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  James  R. 
Bayley,  of  Newark,  N.  J. 

A  Labor  Reform  Convention  is  held  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  21 
Feb.;  Judge  David  Davis,  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  is  nom 
inated  for  President,  and  Judge  Joel  Parker,  of  N.  J.,  for  Vice- 
President;  both  of  these  gentlemen  subsequently  decline,  and 
Charles  O'Conor,  of  N.  Y.,  is  nominated  for  President,  the 
second  place  being  left  vacant. 

Congress  passes  a  bill  creating  the  Yellowstone  Valley,  in 
Montana  and  Wyoming  Territories,  a  national  park,  27  Feb. 

The  reduction  of  the  public  debt  from  1  March,  1869,  to  1 
March,  1872,  amounts  to  $363,697,000. 

President  Grant  appoints  A.  A.  Humphreys,  U.  S.  A.,  Prof. 
Benj.  Pierce,  U.  S.  Coast  Survey,  and  Capt.  Daniel  Amnien,  U. 
S.  N.,  a  commission  to  examine  all  plans  and  proposals  for  an 
inter-oceanic  canal  across  the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  March. 


232  History  of  the  United  States. 

1872.  The  IT.  S.  Centennial  Commissioners  and  alternates  meet  ir 
Philadelphia,  4  March,  and  organize  by  electing  Joseph  R. 
Hawley,  president;  Orestes  Cleveland  A.  T.  Goshorn,  Willian 
M.  Byrd,  J.  D.  Creigh,  and  Robert  Lovvrey,  vice-presidents: 
Lewis  M.  Smith,  temporary  secretary;  an  executive  committee 
and  a  solicitor.  Subsequently  John  L.  Campbell  is  chosen  per 
manent  secretary,  and  A.  T.  Goshorn,  director-general. 

An  imperial  Japanese  Embassy,  numbering  114  persons,  i? 
officially  presented  to  the  President  at  the  Executive  Mansion. 
4  March. 

The  directory  of  the  Erie  Railroad  Company  is  reorganized. 
11  March,  after  a  tedious  legal  fight,  and  Gen.  John  A.  Dix  is 
elected  president  in  place  of  Jay  Gould;  a  sudden  rise  in  the 
stock,  25,  gives  Wall  Street  a  day  of  speculative  frenzy. 

Henry  M.  Stanley,  of  the  New  York  Herald,  having  founc 
Dr.  Livingstone,  the  English  African  traveler,  alive  and  well  at 
Ujiji,  in  the  centre  of  the  continent,  takes  leave  of  him,  14 
March,  and  returns  to  London  and  New  York  with  important 
documents. 

Prof. S. F.B.Morse, "the  father  of  the  telegraph,"  dies  in  New 
York,  2  April,  agjed  80;  memorial  services  are  held  in  his  honoi 
in  the  National  House  of  Representatives,  16. 

The  remains  of  Gen.  Robert  Anderson,  the  hero  of  Fort  Sum- 
ter,  having  been  returned  to  the  U.  S.,  are  given  an  unostenta 
tious  funeral  in  New  York,  3  April. 

Father  Thomas  Burke,  an  eloquent  Dominican  friar,  comes 
to  the  U.  S.  early  in  April. 

The  National  Liberal  Republican  Convention  assembles  in 
Cincinnati,  0,,  1  May;  Hon.  Carl  Schurz  is  chosen  permanent 
president;  the  platform  calls  for  civil  service  re  form,  a  judicious 
system  of  taxation,  and  the  speedy  resumption  of  specie 
payments;  on  the  sixth  ballot,  Horace  Greeley,  of  the  New 
York  Tribune,  is  nominated  for  President;  Gov.  B.  G<*atz  Brown, 
of  Mo.,  is  elected  candidate  foi  Vice-President;  the  nomination 
of  Mr.  Greeley  being  deemed  injudicious  by  many  Republicans, 
the  disaffected  ones  hold  a  meeting  in  New  York,  30,  and  nom 
inate  William  P.  Groesbeck,  of  Ohio,  for  President,  and  Fred 
erick  L.  Olmstead,  of  N.  Y.,  for  Vice-President. 

Niblo's  Theatre,  in  New  York,  is  destroyed  by  fire,  6  May. 

Congress  completes  the  political  reorganization  of  the  country 
by  passing  an  Amnesty  Bill,  22  May;  on  the  following  day, 
for  the  first  time  since  the  winter  of  1861,  every  seat  in  Con 
gress  is  legally  occupied. 

James  Gordon  Bennett,  founder  arid  proprietor  of  the  New 
York  Herald,  dies,  1  June,  aged  77. 

The  regular  National  Republican  Convention  assembles  in 
Philadelphia,  5  June;  Hon.  Thomas  Settle,  of  N.  C.,  is  chosen 
permanent  president;  the  platform  insists  on  the  most  complete 
equality  in  the  enjoyment  of  civil,  political,  and  public  rights, 
and  that  Congress  and  the  President  have  fulfilled  an  impera 
tive  duty  in  their  measures  to  suppress  the  treasonable  organi 
zations  in  the  lately  rebellious  States;  President  Grant  is  renoin- 
inated  by  acclamation;  and  on  the  first  ballot,  Hon.  Henry 
Wilson,  of  Mass.,  is  elected  candidate  for  Vice-President. 


History  of  the,  United  States.  233 

1873.  The  Geneva  Tribunal  reassembles,  15  June;  it  holds  its  final 
session,  14  Sep.,  when  its  decision  is  rendered,  awarding  the  U. 
S.  $15,500,000  in  liquidation  of  the  Alabama  claims  and  those 
arising  from  the  depredations  of  other  Anglo-Confederate  ves 
sels. 

The  World's  Peace  Jubilee  is  opened  in  Boston,  17  June. 

The  abolition  of  the  import  duties  on  tea  and  coffee  takes 
~  effect,  1  July. 

The  National  Democratic  Convention  is  held  in  Baltimore,  6 
July;  Hon.  James  R.  Doolittle,  of  Wis..  is  chosen  permanent 
president;  the  Convention  adopts  the  Liberal  Republican  plat 
form,  and  nominates  Messrs.  Greeley  and  Brown.  The  Extreme 
Democrats  hold  a  convention  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  3  Sep.,  and 
nominate  Charles  O'Conor,  of  N.  Y.,  for  President,  and  John 
Quincy  Adams,  of  Mass.,  for  Vice-President;  both  candidates 
subsequently  refuse  to  serve. 

The  Cuban  war-vessel  Pioneer  is  seized  by  the  U.  S.  revenue 
cutter  Moccasin,  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  20  July. 

The  25th  anniversary  of  the  pastorate  of  Henry  Ward  Bee- 
cher  over  Plymouth  Church,  is  celebrated,  7  Oct. 

Hon.  William  H.  Seward  dies  at  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  10  Oct., 
aged  70. 

James  Anthony  Froude,  the  English  historian,  is  received  by 
the  Lotos  Club  of  New  York,  12  Oct.  During  the  fall,  he 
engages  in  a  series  of  historical  debates  with  Father  Thomas 
Burke. 

The  Presidential  election  takes  place,  5  Nov.;  Grant  and 
Wilson  receive  3,592,984  popular  and  300  electoral  votes,  and 
Greeley  and  Brown,  2,833,847  popular,  equal  to  74  electoral 
votes. 

Gen.  George  G.  Meade,  the  hero  of  Gettysburg,  dies,  6  Nov., 
aged  56. 

Boston  is  visited  by  a  conflagration,  9  Nov.,  which  burns  over 
60  acres  of  ground,  and  destroys  property  of  an  estimated  value 
of  $75,000,000. 

Horace  Greeley  dies  hi  a  private  insane  retreat,  29  Nov., 
aged  61. 

Edwin  Forrest,  the  great  tragedian,  dies  in  Philadelphia,  12 
Dec.,  aged  66. 

During  the  year,  the  Government  negotiates  $200,000,000  in 
5  per  cents.,  and  redeems  $200,000,000  in  6  per  cent.  5-20s. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $277,517,962;  the 
debt  is  $2,253,251, 328;  the  imports  are  $640,338,766;  and  the 
exports,  $549,219,718. 

1873.  Gen.  John  A.  Dix  is  inaugurated  Governor  of  New  York,  1 
January. 

Edward  S.  Stokes  is  sentenced  to  death  for  the  murder  of 
Col.  James  Fisk,  Jr.,  4  Jan.;  he  is  subsequently  granted  a  new 
trial  and  acquitted. 

Hon.  Ward  Hunt  is  appointed  Judge  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme 
Court,  on  the  retirement  of  Judge  Nelson,  Jan.  ^ 

Gen.  Wrinfield  Scott  Hancock,  U.  S.  A.  is  appointed  Com 
mander  of  the  Military  Division  of  the  Atlantic,  witb 


234  History  of  the   United  States. 

i873.     quarters  at  New  York;  the  Army  and  Navy  Club  give  him  a 
reception,  8  Jan. 

William  M.  Tweed  is  placed  on  trial  on  an  indictment  fc  r 
violation  of  duty  in  auditing  fraudulent  claims  against  the  citf 
of  New  York,  8  Jan.;  the  jury  fails  to  agree,  30;  a  second  trit  1 
opens,  13  Nov.,  and  he  is  found  guilty  on  204  counts,  19;  Judge 
Davis  sentences  him  to  12  years'  imprisonment  on  BlackwelFs 
Island  and  to  pay  a  fine  of  $12,705. 

Congress  passes  a  bill  to  abolish  the  franking  privilege,  23 
Jan.,  to  take  effect  1  July. 

Matthew  F.  Maury,  the  distinguished  nautical  observer  and 
author,  dies  at  Lexington,  Va.,  1  Feb.,  aged  67. 

Hon.  James  L.  Or,  of  S.  C.,  is  appointed  U.  S.  Minister  t) 
Russia,  1  Feb.;  he  dies  at  his  post,  5  April;  the  remains  ar  j 
brought  to  this  country  in  the  summer. 

Gen.  James  W.  Geary,  ex-Governor  of  Penn.,  dies  at  Harris  - 
burg,  8  Feb. 

An  amendment  to  the  appropriation  bill,  offered  by  Mr.  B. 
F.  Butler,  providing  that  on  and  after  4  March,  the  President 
Shall  receive  a  salary  of  $50,000  per  annum;  the  Viee-Presi- 
Jent,  $10,000;  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court, 
$10,500;  the  Associate  Justices,  each,  $10,000;  the  Cabinet  offi 
cers,  each  $10,000;  the  Speaker  of  the  House,  $10,000;  and 
the  Senators,  Representatives,  and  Delegates,  including  those 
of  the  42d  Congress,  each,  $7,500,  besides  the  actual  expense 
of  travel  from  residence  to  Washington  at  the  beginning  and  close 
of  each  session,  is  adopted  in  the  House,  24  Feb.  and  the  Sen 
ate,  1  March. 

A  political  riot  breaks  out  in  New  Orleans,  1  March,  and  the 
police  and  military  fire  upon  the  rioters  in  Jackson  Square. 

Gen.  Grant  is  again  inaugurated  President,  4  March:  he 
selects  his  second  cabinet  as  follows  :  Secretary  of  State,  Ham 
ilton  Fish;  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  William  A.  Richardson; 
Secretary  of  War,  William  W.  Belknap;  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  George  M.  Robeson;  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  Colum 
bus  Delano;  Postmaster-General,  John  A.  J.  Creswe.l;  and 
Attorney  General,  George  H.  Williams. 

The  White  Star  steamer  Atlantic  strikes  upon  Marr's  Rock, 
off  Nova  Scotia,  at  an  early  hour,  1  April,  and  becomes  a  total 
wreck;  of  the  large  number  of  passengers,  officers,  and  crew  on 
board  at  the  time,  429  are  saved  and  547  lost. 

During  a  peace  talk  in  the  lava  beds  of  Oregon  between 
a  number  of  Modoc  Chiefs  and  the  U.  S.  Commissioners,  11 
April,  the  Indians,  under  Captain  Jack,  suddenly  attack  the 
Commissioners,  kill  Gen.  E.  R.  S.  Canby,  U.  S.  A.,  and  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Thomas  (Commissioner),  and  seriously  wound  Commis 
sioner  Meacham;  a  military  expedition  is  sent  against  the 
Indians  and  the  leaders  are  captured;  Captain  Jack,  Black  Jim, 
Boston  Charley,  and  Schonchin  are  hanged  at  Fort  Klaruath, 
Or.,  3  Oct. 

John  Anderson,  of  New  Yoris,  presents  the  island  of  Peni- 
kese,  in  Buzzard's  Bay,  with  $50,000  hi  bonds,  to  Prof.  Agas 
sis,  for  the  establishment  of  a  school  of  oatural  history,  21 
AprlOL 


History  of  the   United  States.  235 

i873.        Hon.  James  Brooks,  of  N.  Y.,  a  distinguished  politician, 
traveler,  ancl  author,  dies,  30  April,  aged  60. 

Chief  Justice  Salmon  P.  Chase  dies  suddenly  in  New  York, 
7  May,  aged  65j  Congress  holds  funeral  ceremonies  over 
the  remains  in  the  Senate  Chamber,  11. 

Hon.  Oakes  Ames,  M.  C.  from  Mass.,  and  "father"  of  the 
Credit  Mobilier  sensation,  dies,  8  May,  aged  69;  he  made  his 
disclosure  of  the  names  of  parties  to  whom  he  had  given  stock 
and  dividends,  before  the  Congressional  Investigating  Com 
mittee  in  Feb.  last. 

Frank  H.  Walworth  shoots  his  father,  Mansfield  Tracy  Wai- 
worth,  son  of  the  famous  Chancellor,  in  New  York,  3  June,  to 
protect  his  mother  from  assault;  on  the  trial,  he  is  acquitted  of 
murder  on  the  ground  of  emotional  insanity. 

During  the  first  week  in  June,  Chicago  celebrates  the  rebuild 
ing  of  the  burnt  part  of  the  city  in  nineteen  months. 

The  National  Rifle  Association  opens  the  Creedmore  Range, 
on  Long  Island,  21  June. 

The  Savy  Department  despatches  the  Juanita  and  Tigress  to 
the  Arctic  Regions  to  rescue  the  survivors  of  the  Polaris  Expe 
dition,  24  June. 

Hiram  Powers,  the  American  sculpter,  of  "Greek  Slave ; 
fame,  dies  in  Florence,  Italy,  27  June,  aged  58. 

Baltimore  is  visited  by  a  fire  which  burns  over  ten  acres  of 
ground,  causing  a  loss  of  $500,000,  25  July. 

Rev.  Gardiner  Spring,  D.  D.,  for  43  years  pastor  of  the  Old 
Brick  (Pres.)  Church,  in  New  York,  dies,  Aug.,  aged  89. 

Shreveport,  La.,  is  scourged  by  yellow  fever  during  the  month 
of  Sep. 

Jay  Cooke  &  Co.,  bankers  of  New  York,  fail,  18  Sep.,  with 
heavy  liabilities:  a  financial  panic  is  precipitated;  the  New 
York  Clearing  House  is  forced  to  suspend;  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  comes  to  the  aid  of  the  banks  by  purchasing  govern 
ment  bonds;  the  presidents  of  all  the  banks  meet  in  council  to 
devise  ways  of  relief.  President  Grant  comes  to  the  city,  but 
declines  to  accede  to  the  bankers'  request  to  aid  the  banks  with 
the  Treasury  balance  of  $44,000,000;  runs  are  made  on  banks 
and  private  bankers,  and  many  strong  houses  fall  during  the 
ensuing  ten  days. 

The  Evangelical  Alliance  of  the  World,  on  the  invitation  of 
the  American  branch,  holds  a  session  in  New  York,  1-12  Oct.; 
the  distinguished  foreign  delegates  are  received  by  the  Presi 
dent,  15.  * 

The  Cuban  war-steamer  Virginius,  under  command  of  Capt. 
James  Fry,  which  left  New  York  for  Cuba,  8  Oct.,  is  captured 
by  the  Spanish  steamer  Tornado,  31;  the  officers  and  175  volun 
teers  are  taken  to  Santiago  de  Cuba,  where  Gen.  W.  A.  C. 
Ryan,  Bernabe  Varona,  Pedro  Cespedes,  and  Jesus  del  Sel  are 
tried,  convicted,  and  shot  for  piracy,  4  Nov.;  Capt.  Fry  and  36 
of  the  crew  are  shot,  7;  12  more  suffer  the  same  fate,  8;  and 
57,  10;  the  news  of  the  capture  produces  great  rejoicing  in 
Havana  and  intense  indignation  in  the  U.  S.  The  Government 
puts  a  strong  naval  force  into  commission,  whereupon  Spain 
agrees  to  surrender  the  Virginius  and  the  remainder  of  iier 


23«  Mseory  of  the  United 

1873,  crew;  this  is  done,  16  Dee.,  and  while  the  vessel  is  being  con 
voyed  to  New  York,  she  suddenly  sinks  off*  North  Carolina;  the 
survivors  are  given  a  great  reception  by  their  compatriots  upon 
their  return. 

The  French  steamship  Ville  du  Havre,  with  a  large  passenger 
list  from  New  York,  collides  with  the  British  ship  Loch  ISarn, 
23  Nov.,  and  sinking,  carries  down  226  persons. 

Prof.  Louis  J.  R.  Agassiz,  the  eminent  scientist,  dies  at  Cam 
bridge,  Mass.,  14  Dec.,  aged  67. 

Mayor  Hall,  of  New  York,  is  acquitted  of  the  charges  against 
him,  24  Dec. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $290,345,245;  the  debt 
is  $2,234,482,993;  the  imports  are  $663,617,147;  and  the  exports, 
$649,132,563. 

1874.  An  amendment  to  the  appropriation  bill,  to  reduce  the  President'? 

salary  to  $25,000  per  annum  on  and  after  4  March,  1877,  is  lost 
in  the  Senate,  12  Jan. 

The  Communists  of  New  York  make  a  red-flag  demonstra 
tion  in  Tompkins  Square,  and  are  dispersed  by  the  police,  13 
January. 

Chang  and  Eng,  the  Siamese  twins,  die  at  their  residence 
near  Salisbury,  N.  C.,  within  two  hours  of  each  other,  17  Jan.v 
aged  63. 

Hon.  Morrison  R.  Waite  is  appointed  and  confirmed  Chief 
Justice  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  21  Jan. 

"  Mother"  Stewart  and  a  number  of  temperance  women 
inaugurate  a  remarkable  whiskey  crusade  throughout  Ohio,  1 
February. 

Prince  David  Kalakaua  is  chosen  King  of  the  Hawaiian 
Islands,  14  Feb.;  he  makes  an  American  tour,  reaching  Wash 
ington,  12  Dec.,  and  being  presented  to  the  President,  15. 

James  Gordon  Bennett  gives  $30,000  for  the  relief  of  the 
poor  of  New  York,  and  a  number  of  Bennett  Soup  Kitchens 
are  opened,  18  Feb. 

Ex-President  Millard  Fillmoredies  at  Buffalo,  N.Y.,  8  March, 
aged  74. 

Hon.  Charles  Sumner  dies  at  his  residence  in  Washington, 
11  March,  aged  63,  after  enjoining  Senator  Hoar  not  to  let  the 
Civil  Rights  Bill  fail;  funeral  ceremonies  are  held  in  the 
National  Capitol  and  at  the  State  House,  Boston. 

A  great  demonstration  of  the  U.  S.  naval  vessels  at  Key  West, 
Fla.,  terminates  in  a  land  drill,  23  March. 

The  Senate  Committee  on  Finance  report  a  bill  to  provide  for 
the  redemption  and  issue  of  U.  S.  notes,  which  fixes  the  maxi 
mum  limit  at  $382,000,00^,  23  March;  Senators  Conkling  (N. 
Y.),  Stewart  (Nev.),  Anthony  (R.  L),  and  Thurman  (0.),  enter 
vigorous  protests  against  any  inflation  of  the  currency;  the  bill, 
considerably  amended,  passes  by  a  vote  of  29  to  24—1 9  being 
absent;  the  House  passes  it,  14  April,  by  a  vote  of  140  to  102— 
48  being  absent;  the  President  vetoes  the  bill,  22  April,  and  the 
Senate  fails  to  pass  it  over  the  veto.  <. 

The  steamship  Europe,  of  the  Frencn  trans-atlantic  line,  is 
f  found  in  a  sinking  condition  in  mid  ocean,  by  the  steamship 
,  a  April,  and  over  400  passengers  are  rescued,  £ 


llixtory  of  the   United  States.  23? 

Jesse  Pomeroy,  "  the  boy  with  the  pink  eye,  of  Boston, 
commits  his  first  known  murder,  22  April,  his  victim  being  little 
Horace  W.  Miilen.  » 

A  political  warfare  breaks  out  in  Arkansas  between  the  adher 
ents  of  Joseph  Brooks,  who  claims  to  have  received  the  largest 
number  of  votes  in  the  gubernatorial  election,  and  Joseph 
Baxter,  who  has  taken  possession  of  the  office;  each  leader 
musters  an  armed  force  to  maintain  his  claim,  and  several  fatal 
skirmishes  occur,  April. 

Henri  Rochefort,  the  French  Communist,  who  escaped  from 
the  penal  settlement  of  New  Caledonia,  reaches  the  U.  S.  in 
May;  he  delivers  his  first  public  lecture,  in  New  York,  5  June. 

The  dam  of  the  large  reservoir  on  Mill  River,  Mass.,  suddenly 
breaks,  16  May,  and  a  tremendous  body  of  water  dashes 
in  a  destructive  flood" down  the  valley;  the  manufacturing  vil 
lages  of  Williamsburgh,  Skinnerville,  Haydenville,  and  Leeds 
are  destroyed,  and  nearly  200  lives  lost. 

President  Grant  lays  the  corner-stone  of  the  new  building  of 
the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  in  Central  Park,  N. 
Y.,  2  June. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  new  Post-office  and  Custom  House 
building  in  Chicago  is  laid,  24  June. 

Little  Charley  Ross  is  mysteriously  abducted  from  his  father's 
residence  in  Germantown,  Penn.,  1  July;  his  father  spends  a 
large  fortune  searching  for  the  missing  boy,  but  never  learns  of 
his  fate. 

A  fire  breaks  oat  in  Chicago,  14  July,  and  before  it  is  checked 
it  destroys  over  1000  buildings,  including  4  hotels,  6  churches, 
and  7  public  buildings,  among  which  are  the  Post-office,  the 
Fine  Art  Institute,  Aiken's  Theatre,  a  school-house,  freight 
depot,  and  a  savings  bank;  the  loss  is  estimated  at  $4,000,000. 

The  shore  end  of  a  new  Atlantic  cable  is  landed  at  Rye 
Beach,  N.  H.,  15  July. 

A  terrible  rain-storm  sweeps  over  the  hills  around  Pittsburg 
and  Allegheny  City,  Penn.,  26  July,  destroying  several  hun 
dred  houses,  and  causing  a  loss  of  150  lives;  the  damages  are 
estimated  at  $900,000. 

Plymouth  Church,  Brooklyn,  appoints  a  committee  to  inves 
tigate  the  charges  preferred  by  Theodore  Tilton  against  Henry 
Ward  Beecher,  of  having  seduced  Mrs.  Tilton.  Mr.  Tilton 
reads  a  sworn  statement,  detailing  his  charges  and  specifying 
the  actions  of  Mrs.  Tilton  and  Mr.  Beecher  during  the  past  two 

S;ars,  before  the  committee,  28  July;  on  the  following  day, 
r.  Beecher  declares  Mrs.  Tilton's  innocence,  and  Mrs.  Tilton 
makes  a  statement  in  her  own  defence.  William  J.  Gaynor 
causes  the  arrest  of  Mr.  Tilton  on  a  charge  of  having  libeled 
Mr.  Beecher,  but  the  suit  is  not  pressed.  Mr.  Beecher  makes  an 
elaborate  statement  to  his  .congregation,  14  Aug.,  denying  all 
charges  of  immorality;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tilton  are  subjected  to  a 
severe  cross-examination  by  the  committee;  and,  at  the  joint 
request,  of  Mr.  Tilton  and  Mr.  Beecher,  Mr.  Francis  D.  Moulton, 
a  mutual  friend  and  the  custodian  of  many  letters  bearing  upon 
the  trouble,  also  appears  before  it.  The  committee  announces 
the  results  of  its  investigations  at  the  weekly  prayer-meeting  of 


238  History  of  the   United  States. 

1874.  the  church,  28  Aug.  Mr.  Beeeher  is  acquitted  of  the  charge, 
and  Mr.  Moulton  is  so  strongly  denounced  that  the  police  have 
to  protect  him  from  assaults  by  Mr.  Beecher's  friends  on  leav 
ing  the  building.  In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Tilton  institutes  a  civil 
suit  against  Mr.  Beecher  for  $100,000  damages,  his  summons 
being  issued  19  Aug.  The  cause  is  delayed  from  week  to  week 
until,  on  17  Oct.,  Judge  Neilson  grants  an  order  for  the  plaintiff 
to  furnish  a  bill  of  particulars;  this  leads  to  further  complica 
tions  and  appeals,  in  which  William  M.  Evarts  appears  for  M, . 
Beecher,  and  Gen.  Roger  A.  Pry  or  for  Mr.  Tilton.  The  Court 
of  Appeals  reverses  the  decision  of  tfae  General  Term,  so  fa<  as 
to  assert  the  power  of  the  court  to  grant  the  bill  of  particulars, 
7  Dec.,  when  a  new  motion  for  the  bill  is  made  and  granted, 

An  immense  number  of  the  citizens  of  New  Orleans  assew  b.(e 
around  the  Clay  status,  14  Sep.;  a  committee  is  appointed  to 
request  Gov.  Kellogg  to  abdicate;  upon  his  refusal,  the  "White 
League  troops  are  posted  about  the  city,  and  the  metropolitan 
police  and  the  State  troops  are  marched  into  line  of  battle'  the 
White  Leaguers  attack  the  police,  driving  them  through  '(he 
Custom  House,  in  which  Gov.  Kellogg,  Collector  Casey,,  ?jH 
other  officers  have  taken  refuge;  on  the  following  morning,  the 
White  League  pickets  find  the  Capitol  abandoned  and  take  pos 
session.  On  orders  from  Washington,  Gen.  Emory,  U.  S.  A,( 
takes  possession  of  all  the  captured  property,  and  notifies  (iov. 
Kellogg,  18,  that  he  is  prepared  to  restore  him  to  his  office, 

A  fire  breaks  out  at  Granite  Mill  No.  1,  at  Fall  River,  Mass., 
19  Sep.,  at  an  hour  when  there  are  over  400  women  and  chil 
dren,  besides  the  male  operatives,  in  the  building;  an  intense 
panic  follows  the  discovery  of  the  flames;  the  elevator  refuses 
to  work,  and  the  operatives  are  forced  to  jump  from  the  fourth 
and  fifth  story  windows;  40  persons  lose  their  lives  and  80  are 
more  or  less  severely  injured. 

The  Lincoln  monument  at  Springfield,  111.,  is  dedicated,  15 
Oct.,  and  the  remains  of  the  President  are  placed  in  a  new  case 
and  deposited  in  the  crypt. 

The  first  baloon  wedding  on  record  takes  place  above  Cin 
cinnati,  19  Oct.,  when  the  Rev.  H  B.  Jeffries  marries  Miss  Mary 
Walsh  and  Mr.  Charles  M.  Colton. 

The  centennial  of  the  burning  of  the  Peggy  Stewart,  with  a 
cargo  of  2320  pounds  of  tea,  in  the  harbor  of  Annapolis,  Md., 
is  celebrated,  19  Oct. 

John  D.  Lee,  the  leader  of  the  Mormons  in  the  Mountain 
Meadow  massacre,  in  1857,  is  captured,  1  Nov.;  he  is  lodged  in 
jail  at  Beaver,  Utah,  and  indicted  for  murder. 

Hon.  Ezra  Cornell,  founder  of  Cornell  University,  at  Ithaca, 
N.  Y.  (cost  $700,000),  dies,  9  Dec.,  aged  67. 

James  Lick,  of  San  Francisco,  deeds  his  immense  estate  to  a 
board  of  trustees,  and  charges  them  to  devote  $700,000  to  the 
erection  of  an  observatory;  $800,000  to  found  and  endow  the 
California  School  of  Mechanical  Arts;  $250,000  to  the  erection 


baths;  $150,000  to  the  erection  of  al>ronze  monument  to  Key, 


History  of  the  United  States.  239 

1874.  the  author  of  the  "  Star  Spangled  Banner;  "  $25,000  in  gold  to 
the  Protestant  Orphan  Home,  San  Francisco;  $25,000  to  found 
an  Orphan  Home  in  San  Jose ;  and  $10,000  to  the  purchase  of 
scientific  works  for  the  Mechanics'  Institute,  San  Francisco. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $287,138,873;  the  debt 
is  ^2,251, 690,468;  the  imports  are  £595,861,248;  and  the  exports, 
$693,039,054. 

1875.  The  case  of  Theodore  Tilton  against  Henry  Ward  Beecher  is 

culled  before  Judge  Neilson  in  the  City  Court,  Brooklyn,  N.Y., 
4  Jan.  Gen.  Roger  A.  Pryor,  ex-Judge  Fullerton,  William  A. 
Beach,  and  S.  D.  Morris  appear  as  counsel  for  Mr.  Tilton;  and 
Hon.  William  M.  Evarts,  Gen.  B.  F.  Tracey,  and  Thomas  G. 
Shearman  for  Mr.  Beecher;  the  opening  address  for  the  plain 
tiff  is  made,  11,  and  the  first  witness  is  called,  13.  Mr.  Tilton 
takes  the  stand,  29,  \vhen  Mr.  Evarts  objects  to  his  being  sworn. 
Several  days  are  spent  in  arguing  the  question;  the  court  decides 
in  the  plaintiff's  favor,  and  the  examination  begins,  2  Feb.  Mr. 
Tilton's  testimony  is  completed,  17;  the  case  for  the  defence  is 
opened,  25,  and  the  first  witness  is  called,  2  March;  the- mem 
bers  of  the  church  investigating  committee  are  called  as  wit 
nesses,  29;  Mr.  Beecher  takes  the  stand,  1  April,  and  declines 
to  swear  on  the  bible;  his  direct  examination  is  closed,  13,  and 
the  cross-examination  opened;  he  leaves  the  stand,  21,  the  re 
direct  closing  at  recess;  the  defense  rests,  30;  the  rebuttal  testi 
mony  is  then  taken;  Mr.  Tilton  as;ain  takes  the  stand,  11  May, 
and  denies  all  the  testimony  in  defense;  the  taking  of  evidence 
closes,  13;  the  total  number  of  witnesses  examined  is  111,  and 
the  time  consumed  in  the  examinations  aggregates  four  and  a 
half  .months;  Mr.  Evarts  occupies  eight  days  in  summing  up, 
and  other  counsel  for  the  defense  six  more;  Mr.  Beach  occupies 
nine  days  in  his  argument  for  the  plaintiff;  Judge  Neilson 
charges  the  jury,  24  June;  after  a  consultation  of  eight  days, 
the  jury  come  in  and  report  that  they  are  unable  to  agree  upon 
a  verdict,  2  July. 

The  State  House  at  New  Orleans  is  guarded  by  police  early 
in  the  morning  of  4  Jan.,  the  day  appointed  for  the  opening  of 
the  Louisiana  ^Legislature.  The  Democrats  charge  frauds  upon 
the  Returning  Board,  and  the  Republicans  charge  intimidation 
upon  the  Democrats;  Mr.  Wiltz  is  chosen  chairman,  against 
the  protests  of  the  Republicans,  who  attempt  to  withdraw,  but 
are  prevented;  in  the  afternoon,  Gen.  De  Trobriand  enters  the 
House  with  U.  S.  troops,  and  Mr.  Wiltz  and  several  Members, 
who  are  claimed  to  have  been  irregularly  seated,  are  taken  into 
custody  and  marched  out  of  the  Hall;  the  Democratic  Members 
then  withdraw  and  the  Republicans  proceed  to  effect  an  organ 
ization;  in  the  meantime,  a  second  Congressional  Committee, 
consisting  of  George  F.  Hoar,  William  A.  Wheeler,  William 
P.  Frye,  and  Samuel  P.  Marshall,  is  sent  to  New  Orleans,  2 
Jan.  Mr.  Wheeler  proposes  a  plan  for  ad  justing  the  difficulties, 
to  the  effect  that  the  Assembly  will  not  disturb  the  State  Govern 
ment,  but  accord  Gov.  Kellogg  all  legitimate  support,  and  that 
the  House  as  constituted  on  the  award  of  the  committee  shall 
not  be  changed;  the  plan  is  accepted,  twelve  Members  excluded 
by  the  Returning  Board  are  admitted,  a  conservative  Speaker 


240  History  of  the  United  States. 

• 
1875.     is  chosen,  and  both  branches  of  the  Legislature  proceed  to  work. 

Samuel  J.  Tilden  is  inaugurated  Governor  of  New  York,  and 
pledges  himself  to  an  administration  of  reform,  Jan. 

Senator  Sherman's  Bill  providing  for  the  resumption  of  specie 
payments  on  1  Jan.,  1879,  is  passed  in  both  Houses,  and  ap 
proved  by  the  President,  14  Jan. 

William  H.  Aspinwall  dies  in  New  York,  18  Jan.,  aged  67. 

Ex-President  Andrew  Johnson  is  elected  U.  S.  Senator  from 
Tenn.,  Jan.,  and  dies,  31  July,  aged  67. 

The  first  train  passes  through  the  Hoosac  Tunnel,  Mass., 

Congress  authorizes  the  improvement  of  the  passes  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi  under  the  direction  of  James  B.  Eads, 
at  a  cost  of  $5,200,000. 

A  civil  suit  is  begun  against  William  M.  Tweed,  in  New  York, 
to  recover  $6,198,950,  April;  he  is  discharged  from  his  cumula 
tive  sentence,  22  June,  and  immediately  re-arrested  and  held 
to  bail  in  $15,000  on  a  criminal  suit  and  in  $3,000,000  on  the 
•  civil  suit;  he  escapes  from  the  officers  of  the  Ludlow-Street  Jail, 
while  on  a  visit  to  his  house,  4  Dec. 

Archbishop  John  McCloskey  is  invested  with  the  berretta  of 
a  Cardinal  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  in  St.  Patrick's 
Cathedral,  New  York,  27  April. 

The  various  officials  of  Baltimore  take  possession  of  the  new 
City  Hall,  12  April. 

Prof.  S.  R.  Wells,  the  phrenologist,  of  New  York,  dies,  13 
April,  aged  55. 

Oshkosh,  Wis.,  is  destroyed  by  fire,  28  April. 

Hon.  George  S.  Batcheller,  of  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  is  appointed 
Presiding  Judge  of  the  new  Supreme  Court  of  Egypt,  April. 

The  railway  bridge  at  Portage  Falls,  N.  Y. ,  the  longest  wooden 
viaduct  in  the  world,  is  destroyed  by  fire,  5  May. 

The  Masonic  Temple  in  New  York  is  dedicated,  2  June. 

Rev.  Dr.  Wood,  of  Philadelphia,  receives  the  pallium  of  an 
Archbishop  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  at  the  Cathedral  of 
St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  17  June. 

An  American  team,  consisting  of  Col.  H.  A.  Gildersleeye, 
Col.  John  Bodine,  Major  Henry  Fulton,  Gen.  T.  S.  Dakiti, 
George  W.  Yale,  and  R.  C.  Coleman,  win  the  International 
Rifle-match  at  Dollymount,  Ireland,  29  June. 

Hon.  Horace  Binney,  the  oldest  lawyer  and  the  oldest  college 
graduate  in  the  U.  S.,  dies  at  Philadelphia,  12  Aug.,  aged  80. 

The  Bank  of  California,  at  San  Francisco,  suspends,  26  Aug.; 
on  the  following  day,  the  Gold  and  Merchants'  Banks  suspend, 
and  William  C.  Ralston,  President  of  the  Bank  of  California, 
and  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  popular  citizens  of  San  Fran 
cisco,  commits  suicide  by  drowning. 

The  old  post-office  in  New  York  is  grotesquely  vacated,  28 
Aug.,  and  the  mail-matter  and  archives  are  transferred  to  the 
new  structure. 

Samuel  D.Tillman,  Ph.  D.,  LL.D.,  dies  in  New  Yort ,  4  Sep., 
aged  62.  ^  *» 

Coin.  Perry's  flag-ship,  the  Lawrence,  is  raised  from  the  bot 
tom  of  Lake  Erie,  where  it  had  lain  for  over  60  years,  14  Sep. 


History  of  the  United  States.  241 

1875.  The  U.  S.  S.  Swatara  leaves  the  Brooklyn  Navy-yard,  30 
Oct.,  for  Para,  Brazil,  to  bring  "back  ex-Confederate  refugees. 

The  steamship  Pacific,  plying  between  San  Francisco  and 
Portland,  Or.,  founders,  4  Nov.,  causing  a  loss  of  200  lives. 

Hon.  Henry  Wilson,  Vice-President  of  the  U.  S.,  dies  at 
Washington,  D.  C.,  22  Nov.,  aged  62;  funeral  services  are  held 
in  the  rotunda  of  the  National  Capitol  and  at  Natick,  Mass. 
Hon.  Thomas  W.  Ferry,  of  Mich.,  President  pro  tern  of  the 
Senate,  becomes  Acting  Vice-President. 

William  B.  Astor  dies  in  New  York,  24  Nov.,  aged  83. 

Hon.  M.  C.  Kerr,  democrat,  is  elected  Speaker  of  the  House 
at  the  opening  of  the  43d  Congress,  6  Dec. 

Hon.  Benjamin  H.  Bristow,  having  been  appointed  to  succeed 
Mr.  Richardson,  as  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  institutes  a 
determined  war  on  the  frauds  which  have  robbed  the  Govern 
ment  of  an  immense  amount  of  revenue.  His  disclosures  of 
the  whiskey  frauds  in  the  west,  which  have  cost  the  Govern 
ment  a  loss  in  taxes  of  $1,650,000  in  ten  months  produces  a  great 
sensation;  John  A.  Joyce,  Special  Revenue  Agent  at  St.  Louis, 
and  John  MacDonald,  Supervisor  of  Internal  Revenue  there, 
are  convicted  and  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary,  and  Chief 
Clerk  Avery,  of  the  Treasury  Department,  and  Gen.  O.E.  Bab- 
cock,  the  President's  private  secretary,  are  indicted  for  com 
plicity,  the  former  being  convicted,  Dec. 

The  centennial  anniversaries  of  the  early  events  in  the  Revo 
lutionary  war  are  appropriately  observed  during  the  year  as 
they  occur. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $274,623,392;  the  debt 
is  $2,180,395,067;  the  imports  are  $553, 906, 153;  and  the  exports, 
$643,094,767. 

1876.  Dr.  Samuel  G.  Howe  surgeon-general  of  the  fleet  in  the  Greek 

insurrection,  a  San  Domingo  Commissioner  and  philanthropist, 
dies  at  South  Boston,  9  Jan.,  aged  75. 

Rev.  and  Hon.  E.  D.  Winslow,  of  Boston,  is  discovered  to 
have  committed  extensive  forgeries,  24  Jan.;  he  flees  the  coun 
try,  is  arrested  in  England,  and  after  a  long  correspondence 
between  the  U.  S.  and  English  Governments,  he  is  released. 

Gen.  0.  E.  Babcock,  the  President's  private  secretary,  is 
placed  on  trial  at  St.  Louis,  for  complicity  in  the  great  whiskey 
frauds,  7  Feb..  and  is  acquitted. 

Hon.  Reverdy  Johnson,  ex-U.  S.  Minister  to  England,  dies 
suddenly  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  9  Feb.,  aged  79. 

The  Old  Oak  on  Boston  Common  is  blown  down  in  a  gale,  15 
February. 

An  Advisory  Council  of  Congregational  Churches  meets  in 
Plymouth  Church,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  16  Feb.,  to  settle  points  of 
difference  in  church  polity,  arising  from  the  course  of  Mr.  Bee- 
cher's  congregation. 

Charlotte  Cushman,  the  tragedienne,  dies  at  Boston,  18  Feb., 
aged  50. 

The  House  of  Representatives  Committee  on  Expenditures  in 
the  War  Department,  having  had  its  attention  directed  to 
alleged  abuses  in  the  management  of  the  post-tradership  at 
Fort  Sill,  I.  T.,  compels  the  attendance  of  Caleb  P.  Marsh,  of 


History  of  the  Unites  /States. 

1876.  New\York,  who  had  received  the  appointment  in  1870;  he 
acknowledges  the  regular  payments  of  money  to  Gen.  Belknap, 
the  Secretary  of  War,  in  consideration  of  the  appointment.  The 
Committee  summons  the  Secretary  before  it,  1  March,  when  he 
confesses  the  truth  of  the  statements;  he  personally  tenders 
his  resignation  to  the  President,  2  March,  and  it  is  immediately 
accepted.  The  same  clay  the  Committee  ask  the  House  for  his 
impeachment,  and  a  Committee  is  accordingly  appointed  and 
the  Senate  notified.  The  Secretary  is  arrested  and  released  in 
$25,000  bail,  8  March;  he  is  tried  by  the  Senate  on  the  House 
charges  and  his  own  confession,  and  acquitted  by  a  vote  of  35 
to  25,  1  Aug. 

Hon.  Richard  H.  Dana,  Jr.,  of  Mass.,  is  nominated  for  U.  S. 
Minister  to  England,  in  place  of  Gen.  li.  C.  Schenck,  resigned, 

6  March;  the  Senate  rejects  the  nomination,  4  April. 

Hon.  Alphonso  Taft,  of  Ohio,  is  appointed  Secretary  of  War, 

7  March. 

Sister  Harriet,  the  Mother  Superior  of  the  Protestant  Episco 
pal  Order  of  All  Saints  in  the  U.  S.,  dies  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  12 
March. 

Hon.  A.  0.  P.  Nicholson,  Chief  Justice  of  Tennessee,  dies  at 
Columbia,  22  March,  aged  68. 

Alexander  T.  Stewart,  the  millionaire  merchant  of  New  York, 
dies,  10  April,  aged  73;  the  remains  are  interred  in  a  vault  in 
St.  Mark's  churchyard,  on  Second  Avenue,  13;  his  will,  which 
bequeaths  all  his  property  to  his  widow,  excepting  $1,000,000 
given  to  Judge  Henry  Hilton  and  various  sums  nominated  for 
his  most  faithful  employes,  is  contested  by  James  Bailey,  claim 
ing  to  be  a  cousin,  June,  but  is  subsequently  probated. 

Dom  Pedro  II.,  Emperor  of  Brazil,  accompanied  by  the  Em 
press  Theresa,  arrives  in  New  York,  15  April;  they  are  pre 
sented  to  the  President,  7  May,  and,  declining  national  atten 
tions  due  their  rank,  they  make  a  rapid  and  extended  tour  of 
the  country  as  private  personages,  and  embark  for  Liverpool, 
12  July. 

President  Grant  vetoes  a  bill  to  reduce  his  salary  to  $25,000, 
18  April. 

The  Centennial  Exhibition,  in  Fairmount  Park,  Philadel 
phia,  is  officiallv  opened,  10  May;  Theodore  Thomas's  famous 
orchestra  leads  the  ceremonies;  Bishop  Simpson,  of  the  Method 
ist  Episcopal  Church,  offers  a  prayer;  the  President  of  the  Board 
of  Finance  formally  presents  the  buildings  to  the  U.  S.  Cen 
tennial  Commission,  by  whose  President,  after  the  singing  of 
Sidney  Lanier's  Cantata,  they  are  presented  to  the  President  of 
the  U.  S.,  who  declares  the  exhibition  opened.  President  Grant 
and  the  Emperor  of  Brazil  then  start  the  gigantic  Corliss  engine, 
and  all  the  machinery  in  the  vast  place  moves.  The  buildings 
cover  a  space  of  75  acres,  and  aggregate  190  in  number, 
including  the  five  grand  structures  and  the  buildings  of  the 
States  and  Territories  and  foreign  nations,  representing  a  cost 
of  $4,444,000,  of  which  $1,500,000  were  loaned  by  the  U.  S. 
Government.  The  Exhibition  closes  10  Nov.;  it  has  been  visited 
by  9,786,151  persons,  of  whom  7,897,789  paid  $3,761,607;  the 


History  of  the  Unltea  states.  243 

1876.     largest  attendance  on  any  day  was  on  28  Sept.,  when  274,919 
persons  passed  the  gates.- 

The  Prohibition  Reform  Party  hold  a  convention  at  Cleve 
land,  Oliio,  17  May,  and  nominate  Gen.  Green.  Clay  Smith,  of 
Ky.,  for  President. 

A  National  Greenback  Convention  is  held  at  Indianapolis, 
Ind.,  18  May;  Peter  Cooper,  of  N.  Y.,  is  nominated  for  Presi 
dent,  and  U.  S.  Senator  Booth,  of  Cal.,  for  Vice-President;  the 
latter  declines,  and  Samuel  F.  Gary,  of  Ohio,  is  substituted. 

Most  Rev.  James  B.  Purcell,  Roman  Catholic  Archbishop  of 
Cincinnati,  celebrates  his  golden  jubilee,  21  May. 

Edward  Dubufe's  celebrated  painting  of  the  "  Prodigal  Son," 
valued  at  $100,000,  is  destroyed  at  the  burning  of  MelodeoD 
Hall,  Cincinnati,  26  May. 

Hon.  J.  Donald  Cameron  is  sworn  in  as  Secretary  of  Wai', 
and  ex-Secretary  Taft  as  Attorney-General,  1  June. 

Hon.  Edward  F.  Beale  is  confirmed  as  U.  S.  Minister  to  Aus 
tria,  1  June. 

The  Grand  Commandery  of  the  U.  S.  Knights  Templar  make 
a  great  procession  in  Philadelphia,  1  June. 

Rev.  William  A.  Stearns,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President  of  Amherst 
College,  dies  suddenly,  8  June,  aged  71. 

Com.  Vanderbilt  makes  an  additional  gift  of  $300,000  to  the 
trustees  of  the  Vanderbilt  University,  in  Tennessee,  bringing  his 
total  donations  up  to  $1,000,000  for  buildings  and  endowments. 
13  June. 

The  Republican  National  Convention  assembles  at  Cincin 
nati,  14  June;  Marshall  Jewell,  Conn.,  O.  P.  Morton,  Ind., 
Benj.  H.  Bristow*,  Ky.,  James  G.  Blame,  Me.}  Roscoe  Conkling, 
N.  Y.,  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  Ohio,  and  John  F.  Hartrauft, 
Penn.,  are  nominated  as  candidates  for  the  Presidential  nomi 
nation.  The  first  ballot  shows  a  strong  preference  for  Mr. 
Blaine;  but  on  the  seventh,  the  Convention  compromises  on  the 
least  known  of  the  candidates,  Mr.Hayes,  giving  him  384  votes, 
and  then  unanimously  elects  hhn.  Hon.  William  A.  Wheeler, 
of  N.  Y.,  is  nominated  for  Vice-President. 

Discovering  that  official  secrets  concerning  prosecutions  on 
account  of  revenue  frauds  have  been  communicated  to  impli 
cated  parties,  Gen.  Bristow  resigns  his  position  as  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury,  17  June.  * 

A  determined  warfare  against  the  Sioux  Indians  is  begun 
early  in  June;  Gen.  Crook  attacks  them  on  Rosebud  River,  17; 
a  camp  of  2000  lodges  on  the  Little  Horn  is  attacked,  25,  when 
Gen.  Custer,  his  two  brothers,  a  nephew,  and  brother-in-law, 
with  305  officers  and  men  are  killed.  Gen.  MacKenzie  sur 
rounds  the  camp  of  Red  Cloud  and  Red  Leaf,  capturing  the 
whole  force  without  a  shot,  23  Oct. :  the  next  day,  Gen.  Crook 
assembles  the  Indians  at  the  Red  Cloud  agency,  deposes  Red 
Cloud,  and  proclaims  Spotted  Tail  chief  of  all  the  Sioux.  Gen. 
MacKenzie  captures  a  hostile  Cheyenne  village  of  200  lodges, 
with  500  warriors,  25  Nov. 

William  Cullen  Bryant  is  presented  with  a  memorial  vase  of 
hammered  silver,  valued  at  $5,000.  by  his  friends,  in  New  York. 
SO  June. 


24  \  history  of  the   United  States, 

L876.         A.  H.  Wyman  is  nominated  and  confirmed  as  Secretary  cf 
the  Treasury,  20,  29  June. 

The  Democratic  National  Convention  meets  in  St.  Louis,  23 
June,  and  organizes  by  electing  Hon.  John  A.  McClernand  per 
manent  president;  Messrs.  Samuel  J.  Tilclen,  N.  Y.;  Thorn!)  s 
F.  Bayard,  Del  •  William  S.  Allen,  Ohio;  Judge  Joel' Parker, 
N.  J.;  and  Gen.  W.  S.  Hancock,  U.  S.  A.,  are  proposed  for  the 
Presidential  nomination;  on  the  first  ballot,  Mr.  Tilden  receive  s 
403  votes  in  a  total  of  817,  and  before  the  result  of  the  secon  I 
ballot  is  announced,  his  nomination  is  made  unanimous.  Hoi;. 
Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  of  Ind.,  is  nominated  for  Vice-Presidem . 

William  M.  Tweed,  after  his  escape  from  the  officers  in  Nev 
York,  goes  to  Cuba,  and  sails  thence  in  the  Carmen,  for  Vig< , 
Spain,  27  July;  on  entering  the  harbor  of  Vigo,  the  Carmen  is 
boarded  by  the  Governor,  6  Sep.,  and  Tweed  is  arrested;  tin 
Spanish  Government  agrees  to  return  him  to  the  U.  S.  without 
the  usual  formalities,  and  he  sails  on  thelJ.  S.  S.  Franklin, \h&\ 
homeward  bound,  26;  he  arrives  in  New  York,  23  Nov.,  and  H 
at  once  lodged  in  jail:  in  the  meantime,  Sheriff  Brennan  is  pun 
ished  for  neglect  in  permitting  the  escape. 

An  extraordinary  illumination  and  midnight  torchlight  pro 
cession  take  place  in  New  York,  3-4  July. 

Colorado  is  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  State,  4  July;  John 
L.  Routt,  its  first  Territorial  Governor,  is  elected  first  Governor 
of  the  State,  Oct. 

Gen.  Green  B.  Raum  is  appointed  Commissioner  of  Internal 
Revenue,  26  July. 

The  New  York  yacht  Madeleine  wins  the  first  of  three  races 
for  the  America's  Cup  with  the  Canadian  yacht  Countess  oj 
Duffer  in,  11  Aug.,  by  ten  minutes,  and  the  second,  12,  by  27 
minutes. 

The  Secretary  of  War,  upon  the  order  of  tho  President, 
instructs  Gen.  Sherman  to  dispose  of  the  available  troops  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  prevent  and  punish  fraud  at  the  polls  on 
election  day,  15  Aug. 

Hon.  M.  C.  Kerr,  Speaker  of  the  National  House  of  Repre 
sentatives,  dies  at  Rockbridge  Springs,  Va.,  19  Aug.,  aged  49. 

A  bronze  statue  of  Lafayette,  the  gift  of  the  French  Republic-, 
is  unveiled  in  New  York,  6  Sep. 

Hon.  Henry  A.  Wise,  ex-Governor  of  Va.,  dies  at  Richmond, 
12  Sep.,  aged  70. 

Rev.  Edmund  S.  Janes,  D.  D.,  senior  and  presiding  Bishop 
of  the  M.  E.  Church,  dies  in  New  York,  18  Sep.,  aged  69. 

Gen.  John  Newton,  U.  S.  A.,  blows  up  the  Hallet's  Point 
obstructions  in  Hell  Gate,  N.  Y.,  24  Sep. 

James  Lick,  the  California  millionaire,  dies  in  San  Francisco, 
1  Oct.,  aged  80. 

The  first  cremation  furnace  in  the  U.  S.,  is  completed  at 
Washington,  Penn.,  1  Oct.;  the  body  of  Baron  De  Palm  is  th<- 
first  one  cremated,  6  Dec. 

-  The  President  declares  S.  Carolina  to  be  in  a  state  of  insur 
rection,  and  orders  troops  sent  there  to  preserve  the  peace  at  the 
elections,  17  Oct, 


Hisivry  of  the   United  States.  245 

1876.  The  State  and  National  elections  are  the  most  exciting  of  any 
ever  held.     Federal  troops  are  plentifully  scattered  throughout 
the  Southern  States,  and  strong  forces  are  congregated  in  Wash 
ington,   D.  C.  and  in  New  York  City.    In  S.  Carolina,  Gen. 
Wade    Hampton,  Democrat,    and    Daniel  H.   Chamberlain, 
Republican,  are  declared  elected  Governor  and  both  are  sworn 
in  as  such;  the  State  has  a  dual  Legislature,  with  two  Speakers 
trying  to  preside  at  the  same  time,  and  the  members  of  its 
Returning  Board  are  arrested  and  committed  to  the  Columbia 
jail.  In  Louisiana,  both  political  parties  invite  prominent  gen 
tlemen  of  the  North,  and  the  President  sends  a  committee  to 
witness  the  counting  of  the  votes  by  the  Returning  Board;  while 
another  Presidential  Committee  is  appointed  for  a  like  service 
in  Florida.  The  popular  vote  in  the  Presidential  election,  7  Nov., 
according  to  the  official  returns,  is:    Tiiaen,  4,284,265;  Hayes. 
4,033,295;  Cooper,  81,737;  Smith,  9,522;   giving  Mr.  Tilden  a 
popular  majority  over  all  others  of  157,397  votes.     The  Return 
ing  Boards  give  Mr.  Hayes  185  electoral  votes  and  Mr.  Tilden 
184;  the  votes  of  Florida,  Louisiana,  and  S.  Carolina,  given  to 
the  Republicans,  are  disputed  by  the  Democrats.  The  year  closes 
on  the  greatest  political  tension  ever  known  in  the  country ,with 
the  leaders  of  both  parties  urging  forbearance. 

Congress  meets,  4  Dec.;  Hon.  SamuelJ.  Randall,  Penn.,  is 
elected  Speaker  of  the  House  over  Hon.  James  G.  Blaine;  a 
number  of  bills  proposing  a  more  satisfactory  method  of  count 
ing  the  electoral  votes  for  President  and  Vice-President  are  in 
troduced  in  both  Houses,  but  there  is  an  aversion  to  action  until 
the  Visiting  Committees  return  from  the  South  and  report. 

During  a  performance  of  "  The  Two  Orphans  "  in  the  Brook 
lyn  (N.Y.) Theatre.  5  Dec.,  afire  breaks  out  on  the  stage;  a 
terrific  panic  is  created;  the  building  is  entirely  destroyed,  and 
over  300  persons  lose  their  lives  by  burning,  suffocation,  or  being 
crushed  in  the  stampede;  the  remains  of  100  unrecognized  bodies 
are  buried  in  one  large  grave  in  Greenwood  Cemetery. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $258,459,797;  the  debt 
is  $2,180,395,067;  the  imports  are  $476,677,871;  and  the  exports, 
$644,956,406. 

1877.  Commodore  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  dies  at  his  residence  in  New 

York,  4  Jan.,  aged  82;  he  wills  five  of  his  daughters  $2,500,000 
each  in  railroad  bonds,  and,  after  providing  for  his  other  chil 
dren  and  a  number  of  old  friends,  bequeaths  the  remainder  of 
his  great  fortune — which  is  said  to  aggregate  $100,000,000 — to 
his  son,  William  H.  Mrs.  La  Ban,  one  of  his  daughters,  in 
behalf  of  Cornelius,  a  brother,  begins  proceedings  to  set  aside 
the  will,  before  the  Surrogate,  14  ^ov. 

Messrs.  Nicholls  (Dem.)  and  Packard  (Rep.)  are  each  inau 
gurated  Governor  of  Louisiana,  at  New  Orleans,  8  Jan.;  the 
Democrats  gain  possession  of  all  the  public  buildings  except  the 
State  House,  9,  and  during  that  week  the  Democratic  Legisla 
ture  gains  large  accessions  from  the  Republican  body.  In  ac 
cordance  with  President  Hayes's  "Southern  Policy,"  the  U.  S. 
troops  are  officially  withdrawn  from  service  in  the  city,  24 


246  History  of  the  United  States. 

'877.  Both  parties  in  Congress  compromise,  in  the  matter  of  the 
disputed  electoral  returns,  in  an  arrangement  which  takes  shape 
in  a  bill  providing  for  the  appointment  of  an  Electoral  Com 
mission,  to  whom  shall  be  referred  all  over  one  set  of  returns 
from  any  one  State,  and  all  single  returns  that  may  be  disputed 
by  either  party,  for  decision  as  to  the  lawful  vote;  the  bill, 
originating  in  the  Senate,  is  passed,  25  Jan.,  by  a  vote  of  47  to 
17,  and  in  the  House,  26,  by  a  vote  of  191  to  86,  and  it  receives 
the  President's  approval,  29.  The  Commission  is  selected,  accord 
ing  to  the  provisions  of  the  bill,  1  Feb.,  as  follows:  the  Senate 
elects  Messrs.  Edmunds,  Morton,  Frelinghnysen,Thurman,  and 
Bayard;  the  House,  Messrs.  Payne,  Hunter,  Abbot,  Garfield, 
and  Hoar;  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  chooses  Justices  Clifford, 
Miller,  Field,  and  Strong,  and  these  choose  for  the  fifth,  Justice 
Bradley;  politically,  the  commission  stands,  Republicans,  8, 
Democrats,  7.  The  Commission  begin  sits  sittings  in  the  Supreme 
Courtroom,  1  Feb.,  and  on  the  same  day  both  Houses  of  Congress 
meet  in  joint  session  to  receive  the  electoral  returns  from  the 
States;  the  following  counsel  appear  for  the  Republican  elect- 


Jeremiah  Black,  Penn.;  Lynian  Trumbull,  111.;  and  Richard 
Merrick,  D.  C.;  the  votes  of  Alabama,  Arkansas,  California, 
Colorado,  Connecticut,  and  Delaware  are  read  and  counted; 
three  certificates  are  presented  from  Florida,  and  referred  to  the 
Commission,  which,  after  hearing  the  objectors  and  counsel, 
decides  in  favor  of  the  Republican  electors  by  a  vote  of  8  to  7, 
12  Feb.  The  case  of  Louisiana  is  settled  by  the  Commission 
in  the  same  manner,  and  the  two  Houses  of  Congress  count  the 
vote  for  the  Republicans,  20.  The  next  contest  is  on  the  Oregon 
vote,  objections  being  raised  to  the  counting  of  either  certifi 
cate;  the  Commission  decides  by  the  same  party  vote  that  Messrs. 
Odell,  Watts,  and  Cartwright  are  the  legally  appointed  electors, 
and  the  vote  of  the  State  is  counted  for  the  Republicans.  The 
S.  Carolina  case  is  argued,  26  Feb.,  with  a  similar  decision,  and 
sent  to  Congress,  28.  Violent  debates  occur  in  each  House,  the 
joint-meeting  separating  twice  during  the  day.  Early  in  the 
evening  the  votes  of  this  State  are  counted  for  the  Republicans. 
The  counting  of  the  votes  is  concluded,  2  March,  when  the 
result  is  officially  announced,  Messrs.  Hayes  and  Wheeler  being 
given  185  votes  and  Messrs.  Tilden  and  Hendricks,  184;  the  for 
mer  are  then  declared  duly  elected. 

Justice  David  Davis,  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  is  elected 
U.S.  Senator  from  Illinois,  25  Jan.,  and  resigns  from  the  bench. 

Col.  John  O'Mahoney,  the  Irish  agitator,  editor,  and  trans 
lator,  dies  in  New  York,  6  Feb.;  the  remains  are  taken  to  Ire 
land  and  refused  burial  from  Dublin  Cathedral. 

Rear- Admiral  Charles  Davis,  U.S.  N.,  Superintendent  of  the 
U.  S.  Naval  Observatory,  dies  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  18  Feb., 
aged  70.  • 

Hon.  John  Welsh,  President  of  the.  Centennial  Board  of 


History  of  the   United  States. 

1877.     Finance,  is  presented  with  a  check  for  $50,000  by  personal 
friends  in  Philadelphia,  which  he  immediately  gives  to  the 
.  University  of  Pennsylvania,  to  endow  a  chair  of  history  and 
English  literature,  22  Feb. 

Gen.  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  and  Hon.  William  A.  Wheeler 
are  inaugurated  nineteenth  President  and  Vice  -  President 
respectively,  5  March.  Congress  assembles  the  same  day  in 
special  session  and  confirms  the  following  cabinet  appointments: 
Secretary  of  State,  William  M.  Evarts,  N.  Y.;  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  John  Sherman,  Ohio;  Secretary  of  War,  George  W. 
McCrary,  Iowa;  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Richard  W.Thompson, 
Ind.;  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  Carl  Schurz,  Mo.;  Postmaster- 
General,  David  M.  Key,  Term,  j  and  Attorney-General,  Charles 
Devins,  Mass. 

Prof,  A.  Graham  Bell  gives  an  exhibition  of  his  newly 
invented  telephone  before  a  gathering  of  scientific  men,  by 
which  conversation  is  carried  on  between  Salem  and  Boston,  15 
March;  at  another  exhibition,  2  April,  a  piano  concert  in  Phila 
delphia  is  distinctly  heard  in  Steinway  Hall,  New  York. 

The  President  appoints  Frederick  Douglass,  the  well-known 
colored  orator,  U.  S.  Marshal  for  the  District  of  Columbia,  19 
March. 

John  D.  Lee,  convicted  for  complicity  in  the  Mountain  Mea 
dow  massacre  of  emigrants  by  Mormons,  is  executed  by  shoot 
ing  on  the  scene  of  the  tragedy,  23  March. 

After  a  conference  with  Gen.  Wade  Hampton  and  David  II, 
Chamberlain,  both  claiming  to  have  been  legally  elected  Gov 
ernor  of  S.  Carolina,  the  President  orders  the  withdrawal  of  U. 
S.  troops  from  Columbia,  2  April;  the  troops  rnarch  out  of  the 
city,  10,  and  Mr.  Chamberlain  surrenders  the  Governor's  office 
and  papers  to  Gen  Hampton.  , 

The  Westminster  Kennel  Club  gives  the  first  bench  show  of 
dogs,  in  New  York,  7-11  May. 

Gen.  U.  S.  Grant,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  one  son, 
leaves  Philadelphia  for  an  extended  European  tour,  17  May;  he 
is  entertained  at  luncheon  by  the  Lord  Mayor  of  Liverpool,  29; 
after  being  dined  by  the  United  Service  Club  and  a  number  of 
distinguished  Englishmen  and  Americans,  he  is  presented  with 
the  freedom  of  the  City  of  London,  15  June,  and  entertained 
by  Queen  yictoria  at  Windsor  Castle,  26.  During  July  and 
Aug.,  he  visits  Brussels,  Cologne,  Frankfort,  Homberg,  lays 
the  corner-stone  of  an  American  Episcopal  Church,  at  Geneva, 
makes  the  tour  of  Denmark,  Norway,  and  Sweden,  and  receives 
the  freedom  of  the  cities  of  Edinburgh,  Glasgow,  Aberdeen, 
Inverness,  Newcastle-on-Tyne,  and  of  the  boroughs  of  Ayr  and 
Elgin;  he  goes  to  Stratford-on-Avon,  28  Sep.,  and  leaves  Eng 
land  for  France,  24  Oct.  He  is  received  by  Marshal  MacMahon, 
the  President,  25,  dines  with  him,  27,  and  is  given  a  most  bril 
liant  banquet  by  U.  S.  Minister  Noyes,  29;  leaving  Paris,  30 
Nov.,  he  visits  Lyons,  Marseilles,  and  Nice,  embarking  at  the 
latter  place,  15  Dec.,  on  the  U.  S.  S.  VandaMa,  for  visits  to  Gib- 
•  raltar,  Algiers,  Constantinople,  Athens,  Alexandria,  Cairo, 
Genoa,  Palermo,  Naples,  and  Malta.  • 


History  of  the  United  States. 

1877.  The  business  center  of  Galveston,  Texas,  is  destroyed  by 
fire,  8  June,  involving  a  loss  of  11,525^000 

The  Nez  Perces  Indian  war  brea^  v/ttt,  10  aune,  in  Idaho; 
Gen.  Howard  fails  to  capture  or  surprise  Chief  Joseph;  but  Gen. 
Miles,  with  a  picked  force,  follows  the  Indians  so  pertinaciously 
that  after  a  severe  engagement,  the  whole  war  party  surrenders 
to  him,  5  Oct. 

Eleven  "  Moliie  Maguires,"  condemned  for  murder  in  the 
coal  regions  of  Pennsylvania,  are  hung  at  Pottsville,  21  June. 

Right  Rev.  Bishop  Littlejohn  lays  the  corner-stone  of  the 
Cathedral  of  the  Incarnation,  a  memorial  of  the  late  A.  T. 
Stewart,  at  Garden  City,  L.  I.,  28  June. 

A  marble  reredos,  erected  in  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  at 
a  cost,  of  $26,000,  in  memory  of  the  late  William  B.  Astor,  is 
dedicated,  1  July. 

In  consequence  of  a  reduction  of  lOpercent.in  wages,  the  en- 
gineers,  firemen,  conductors,  brakemen,  switchmen,  and  other 
employes  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  go  on  a  strike,  1 
July;  by  the  close  of  the  week,  the  strike  extends  to  the  New 
Vork  and  Erie,  the  Pittsburg,  the  Fort  Wayne  and  Chicago, 
the  Pittsburg,  Cincinnati,  and  St.  Louis,  the  Pan-Handle,  and 
Pennsylvania  Central  Railroads.  State  troops  are  called  out  in 
Maryland,  Ohio,  West  Virginia,  and  Pennsylvania,  and  Federal 
troops  in  West  Virginia.  Engagements  between  the  strikers  and 
their  friends  and  the  soldiers  occur  in  Baltimore,  20,  in  which 
several  persons  are  killed  and  a  large  number  wounded,  and  at 
Martinsburg,  West  Va.  In  Pittsburg,  Penn.,  the  troops  have 
encounters,  17  and  21;  on  the  latter  clay,  the  strikers  capture  a 
car  filled  with  coke,  saturate  the  mass  with  petroleum,  and 
igniting  it,  push  the  car  to  the  Round  House,  which  soon 
becomes  a  mass  of  flames  with  all  its  contents;  between  200  and 
300  lives  are  lost  at  Pittsburg,  125  locomotives  are  destroyed, 
and  3500  cars  are  burned.  Bloody  riots  occur  in  Chicago,  25, 
26,  that  of  the  second  day  being  a  pitched  battle  in  which  artil 
lery  is  freely  used.  By  the  close  of  the  second  week,  the  strike 
extends  to  all  the  northern  roads,  and  six  States  are  underarms, 
the  troops  being  used  in  protecting  property  and  attempting  to 
move  trains.  During  the  second  week,  the  backbone  of  the 
strike  is  broken,  and  compromises  between  the  railroad  officials 
and  the  disaffected  employes  lead  to  a  gradual  reopening  of 
traffic,  the  withdrawal  of  the  troops,  and  the  return  of  84,000 
railroad  men  to  duty.  The  Pennsylvania  Railroad  suffered 
more  severely  than  any  other,  its  losses  at  Pittsburg  alone  ag 
gregating  $12,000,000,  for  which  it  subsequently  sues  the 
county. 

,  A  canal  constructed  by  the  National  Government  around  Des 
Moines  Rapids,  on  the  Mississippi,  at  Keokuk,  at  a  cost  of 
$4,281,000,  is  opened,  22  Aug. 

Brigham  Young,  President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter  Day  Saints,  dies  at  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  29  August, 
aged  76. 

Prof.  Asaph  Hall,  of  the  U.  S.  Naval  Observatory,  discovers 
the  moons  of  the  planet  Mars,  Sep.,  and  excites  the  profound 


History  of  the  United  States.  249 

1877.  interest  of  scientific  and  astronomical  circles  throughout  the 
world. 

Most  Rev.  James  R.  Barley,  Roman  Catholic  Archbishop  of 
Baltimore  and  Primate  of  the  Church  in  the  U.  S.,  dies  at  New 
ark,  N.  J.,  3  Oct.,  aged  63;  he  is  succeeded  by  the  Right  Rev. 
James  Gibbons,  his  coadjutor. 

Gen.  George  B.  McClellan  is  elected  Governor  of  New  Jersey, 
6  Nov. 

George  S.  Bangs,  originator  of  the  fast  mail  service,  and 
Superintendent  of  the  Railway  Mail  Sj'stern.  dies  suddenly  a* 
Washington,  D.  C.,  16  Nov.,  aged  52. 

Moses  H.  Grinnell,  who  fitted  out  Dr.  Kane's  expedition  !n 
search  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  dies  in  New  York,  24  Nov  , 
aged  63. 

The  U.  S.  sloop-of-war  Huron  is  wrecked  in  a  gale  near  Ore. 
gon  Inlet,  N.  C.,  24  Nov.,  and  over  100  lives  are  lost. 

The  President  and  Mrs.  Hayes  celebrate  then-  silver  wedding 
hi  the  White  House,  29  Dec. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $238,660,008;  the  debt 
is  $2,205,301,392;  the  imports  are  $492,097,540;  and  the  exports, 
$676,115,592. 

[878.  Gen.  Grant  sails  from  Malta  on  a  trip  to  Egypt  and  the  Nile,  1 
Jan;  at  Alexandria,  6,  the  Khedive  offers  him  the  use  of  his 
palace  and  a  steamer  to  navigate  the  Nile.  He  reaches  Con 
stantinople,  2  March,  is  dined  by  the  British  Minister,  4,  and 
arrives  at  the  Piraeus,  escorted  by  three  ironclads,  8;  the  Gen 
eral  and  his  wife  are  received  by  the  King  and  Queen  of  Greece, 
at  Athens,  9,  and  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  temples  and  the  Par 
thenon  are  illuminated  in  his  honor,  11;  two  days  later,  with 
his  wife,  he  entertains  the  King  and  Queen  of  Greece  on  the  U. 
S.  S.  Vandalia.  The  party  reach  Rome,  20,  where  they  are  pre 
sented  to  the  Pope  by  Cardinal  McCloskey  and  received  with 
marks  of  high  distinction,  80.  Tne  King  of  Italy  gives  a  din 
ner,  13  April,  at  which  all  his  Ministers  attend.  Florence  is 
reached,  15,  and  the  remainder  of  the  month  is  spent  in  various 
parts  of  Italy.  The  General  returns  to  Paris,  9  May,  to  attend 
the  World's  Exposition,  and  then  goes  to  Holland,  where  the 
Government  has  made  extensive  arrangements  for  his  enter 
tainment;  seven  days  are  passed  in  this  interesting  country,  and 
he  then  departs  for  Germany  and  Russia,  reaching  St.  Peters 
burg,  30  July,  and  being  received  by  the  Czar  Alexander  on  the 
day  following.  He  is  enthusiastically  received  at  Vienna,  21 
Aug.,  and  after  spending  a  few  days  in  the  leading  cities  of 
Austria,  he  departs  for  a  lengthened  tour  of  Spain,  Portugal, 
and  Algiers,  and  another  visit  to  Paris.  Previous  to  the  contem 
plated  trip  to  China,  Japan,  and  India,  the  party  start  for  Ire 
land  at  the  close  of  Dec. 

Samuel  Bowles,  for  many  years  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 
Springfield  (Mass.)  Republican,  dies,  16  Jan.,  after  a  lingering 
illness. 

Gold  declines  to  101|  in  New  York,  23  Jan.,  the  lowest  figure 
quoted  since  1862. 

The  steamship  Metropolis,  bound  from  Philadelphia  for  Brazil, 
ww t  *  large  cargo  of  ITOR  And  &  party  of  engineers,  artisans 


250  History  of  the  United  States. 

»  » 

1878.     and  laborers,  for  railroad  work,  is  wrecked  near  Kitty  Hawk, 

N.  0.,  31  Jan.,  and  about  100  lives  are  lost. 

•         Edward  K.Collins,  founder  of  the  first  American  line. of 
steamships,  dies  in  New  York,  22  Jan.,  aged  76. 

Congress  having  made  an  appropriation  for  the  representation 
of  American  art  and  industry  at  the  Paris  Exposition,  Hon. 
Richard  McConnick  is  appointed  Commissioner-General,  and 
U.  S.  S.  Supply,  Wyoming,  and  Constitution  are  placed  at  his  dis 
posal  for  the  transportation  of  American  exhibits;  the  Supply 
loads  at  New  York,  the  Wyoming  at  Washington,  I).  C.,  and 
the  Constitution  at  Philadelphia,  and  all  get  under  way  in  *he 
latter  part  of  Feb. 

The  U.  S.  Senate,  after  rejecting  the  free-coinage  clause  and 
providing  for  a  conference  of  the  Latin  Union  States  to  fix  a 
common  ratio  between  the  values  of  gold  and  silver,  passes  the 
Bland  Silver  Bill,  16  Feb.;  the  House  concurs  in  the  amend 
ments,  21;  the  President  vetoes  the  bill,  and  both  Houses  pass 
it  over  the  veto. 

The  Greenback  National  Convention  meets  in  Toledo,  Ohio. 
22  Feb.,  and  organizes  a  National  Party,  with  Judge  Francis 
W.  Hughes,  as  president;  the  platform  advocates  a  National 
currency  which  shall  be  a  legal  tender  for  all  purposes,  and  op 
poses  land  grants,  prison  contract  labor,  and  Chinese  immigra 
tion. 

Gen.  Thomas  C.  Anderson,  a  member  of  the  Louisiana 
Returning  Board,  charged  with  forgery,  is  sentenced  to  twu 
years'  imprisonment  at  hard  labor  and  costs,  at  New  Orleans,  25 
Feb.;  on  the  same  day,  a  motion  is  filed  to  transfer  the  cases  of 
Messrs.  Wells,  Kenner,  and  Casenave,  the  other  members  of 
the  Board,  to  the  U.  S.  Court.  The  Supreme  Court  of  the  State 
decides,  18  March,  that  the  Vernon  Parish  returns  are  not  sus 
ceptible  to  the  charge  of  forgery,  and  orders  the  discharge  of 
Gen.  Anderson;  the  Attorney-General  moves  for  a  rehearing 
of  the  case,  which  the  SupVeme  Court  refuses,  whereupon 
Gen.  Anderson  is  released  and  action  against  the  other  mem 
bers  abandoned. 

Henry  Ward  Beecher  is  sworn  in  as  Chaplain  of  the  loth 
Regiment,  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.  (Brooklyn),  1  March. 

Hon.  Benjamin  F.  Wade,  ex-President  of  the  U.  S.  Senate, 
dies  at  Jefferson,  Ohio,  2  March,  aged  77. 

Daniel  O'Leary,  of  Chicago,  wins  the  great  pedestrian  con 
test  in  London,  18-23  March,  walking  520  miles  and  two  fur 
longs  in  139  hours,  10  min. 

Albert  E.  Church,  for  forty  years  professor  of  inath>"- 
matics  in  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  dies  at  West  Point,  30 
March. 

Secretary  Sherman  makes  a  contract  in  New  York  for  the  sale 
of  $50, 000, 000  of  the  4}  per  cent.  Bonds  for  gold,  11  April. 

William  M.T\veed  dies  in  Ludlow  Street  Jail,  New  York,  I*: 
April. 

A  bill  to  repeal  the  bankrupt  law  passes  tho  House,  25  April, 
by  a  vote  of  206  to  39,  and  the  Senate,  10  May,  by  a  majority 
of  5;  the  bill  takes  effect,  1  Sep.  When  it  becomes  evident  that 
the  law  will  be  repealed,  an  enormous  number  of  petitions  ID 


History  of  the  united  /States.  251 

&  * 

1878.     voluntary  bankruptcy  are  filed  in  the  Northern  and  Eastern 
States. 

The  first  train  on  the  Gilbert  Elevated  Railroad  in  New  York- 
is  run  through  Sixth  Avenue,  29  April,  and  the  first  one  on  the 
New  York  Elevated  Railroad  (east  side)  is  run,  15  Aug. 

John  Morrissey,  formerly  a  noted  prize-fighter,  but  latterly  a 
New  York  State  Senator  and  Member  of  Congress,  dies  at  Sara 
toga,  N.  Y.,  1  May,  aged  47. 

By  the  explosion  of  inflammable  gases,  five  steam  flouring- 
mills  at  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  are  destroyed,  2  May,  with  a  loss 
of  18  lives  and  $1,500,000  in  capital. 

William  S.  O'Brien,  of  the  California  firm  of  Flood  &  O'Brien, 
the  famous  Bonanza  kings,  dies  in  San  Rafael,  2  May,  aged  52. 

Joseph  Henry,  LL.D.,  Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institute, 
dies  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  13  May,  aged  80. 

A  $300,000  music  hall  is  opened  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  with  a 
grand  musical  -festival,  14  May. 

The  Senate  Committee  on  Foreign  Relations  submits  an  elab 
orate  report,  28  May,  on  the  work  of  the  Fisheries  Commis 
sion,  which,  under  the  treaty  of  Washington,  assembled  at  Hali 
fax,  15  June,  1877,  and  awarded,  23  Nov.,  the  sum  of  $5,500,- 
000  in  gold  to  be  paid  by  the  U.  S.  to  Great  Britain  in 
compensation  for  the  fisheries  privileges  held  to  have  been 
accorded  citizens  of  the  U.  S.  above  those  granted  the  subjects 
of  Great  Britain  by  the  Treaty.  The  Committee  regards  the 
award  as  exorbitant,  expresses  a  hope  that  the  British  Govern 
ment  will  fully  review  the  case,  and  recommends  the  adoption 
of  a  bill  for  the  payment  of  the  award. 

Considerable  excitement  prevails  throughout  the  month  of 
Ma}'  by  the  arrival  of  the  steamship  Cimbria  at  Southwest  Har 
bor,  Me.,  with  660  Russian  naval  officers  and  seamen  on  board, 
the  purchase  of  three  fast  steamships  by  Russian  agents  in  the 
U.  S.,  and  the  mysterious  movements  of  the  British  frigate 
Sirius,  which  is  evidently  watching  the  CimbrJa. 

The  Potter  Investigating  Committee,  charged  with  the  inves 
tigation  of  alleged  election  frauds  in  the  South,  begins  its  ses 
sions  in  Washington,  1  June.  Messrs.  Blackburn,  Reed,  and 
Springer  are  appointed  a  sub-committee  to  take  testimony  in 
Louisiana,  and  Messrs.  Hunter,  Steuger,  and  Hiscock  in  Fla. 

William  Cullen  Bryant,  the  distinguished  poet-journalist, 
dies  in  New  York,  12  June,  aged  84. 

The  report  of  the  examining  committee  of  Plymouth  Church, 
on  the  charges  preferred  against  Mrs.  Theodore  Tilton  for 
slandering  Mr.  Beecher,  is  adopted,  21  Jan.,  and  Mrs.  Tilton  is 
formally  excommunicated. 

The  Rev.  John  Dowling,  D.  D.,  a  Baptist  minister,  best 
known  for  his  "  History  of  Romanism,"  dies  at  Middletown, 
N.  Y.,  4  July,  aged  70.  « 

The  first  resident  embassy  of  the  Chinese  Empire  accredited 
to  the  U.  S.,  consisting  of  Chin  Lan  Pin.  the  chief,  Yung  Wing, 
associate,  and  36  others,  reaches  San  Francisco,  25  July. 
•       Evert  A.  Duyckinck,  the  popular  author,  dies  hi  New  York, 
13Aug,,aged  62. 


252     c  History  of  the  United  States. 

1878.         Rev.  John  H.  Raymond,  D.  D.,  President  of  Vassar  College, 
dies  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  14  Aug.,  aged  64. 

A  yellow  fever  epidemic,  in  New  Orleans,  Memphis,  Vicks- 
burg,  Grenada,  Port  Gibson,  and  other  Southern  cities  and 
towns,  has  caused  a  loss  of  3400  lives  up  to  1  Sep.;  by  26  Oct., 
the  cases  in  New  Orleans  alone  aggregate  12,792,  of  which  3828 
have  terminated  fatally. 

Rev.  Mark  Hopkins,  D.  D.,  is  elected  president  of  the  Ameri 
can  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Foreign  Missions,  at  Milwaukee 
3  Oct. 

The  Manhattan  Savings  Institution  in  New  York  is  broken 
info  by  masked  burglars,  27  Oct.;  the  janitor  is  forced  to  sur 
render  the  keys  and  the  combination  of  the  lock,  and  $2,747,700 
in  bonds  and  $11,000  in  cash  are  stolen. 

Thomas  A.  Edison,  of  Menlo  Park,  N.  J.,  creates  a  sensation 
in  Oct.,  by  announcing  that  he  has  at  length  discovered  a  method 
of  dividing  the  electric  current  and  its  light  indefinitely,  and 
has  perfected  a  practical  system  for  light'  ,jg  dwellings  and 
public  buildings  by  means  of  this  current. 

The  remains  of  the  late  Alexander  T.  Stewart  are 
mysteriously  abstracted  from  the  vault  in  St.  Mark's  church 
yard,  New  York,  8  Nov.;  by  direction  of  Mrs.  Stewart,  Judge 
Hilton  offers  a  reward  of  $25,000  for  the  return  of  the  body  and 
information  that  will  convict  the  thieves;  the  reward  is  subse 
quently  doubled. 

Gold  sells  at  par  on  Wall  Street,  New  York,  17  ]  >ec. 
Hon.  Bayard  Taylor,  the  well-known  author,  and  U.  S.  Min 
ister  to  Germany,  dies  at  Berlin,  19  Dec. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $236, 964, 326;  the  debt 
is  $2, 256,205,892;  the  imports  are  $466,872,846;  and  the  exports, 
722,811,815. 

-79.  The  U.  S.  Government  resumes  specie  payments,  1  Jan.,  without 
embarrassment  to  itself  or  the  public. 

Hon.  Caleb  Gushing  dies  at  Newburyport,  Mass.,  2  Jan., 
aged  79. 

'Gen.  Grant  and  party  arrive  in  Dublin,  3  Jan.,  and  leave  Ire 
land  for  London,  9.  While  on  the  way  to  Marseilles  to  take 
passage  for  India,  the  General  and  his  wife  pay  a  farewell  visit 
to  Paris,  and,  16,  are  dined  at  the  Palace  d'Elysee,  by  President 
MacMahon,  who  invites  a  distinguished  company  to  meet  them. 
Leaving  Marseilles,  23,  the  party  pass  Suez,  1  Feb.,  Ade*n,  6, 
and  land  at  Bombay,  13,  receiving  distinguished  attention  from 
the  British  and  native  authorities;  departing  from  Allahabad, 
22,  the  party  make  stoppages  at  Agra,  Delhi,  Cawnpore,  Luck- 
now,  Benares,  and  Calcutta,  reaching  the  latter  city,  10  March, 
and  leaving  it,  17,  for  Rangoon  and  Singapore;  the  arrival  in 
Siam  is  made  1  April,  when  the  American  Consul  at  Bangkok, 
with  one  of  the  princes  and  an  aide-de-camp  of  the  King,  meets 
him  with  a  Government  steamer  in  the  Gulf,  and  escorts  the 
party  to  the  capital.  The  King  showers  honors  of  an  unprece 
dented  character  upon  the  General.  Hong  Kong  is  reached  1 
May,  and  the  entire  month  is  passed  in  China,  considerable 
time  being  occupied  by  the  General  and  Prince  Kung  in  discus- 


C^^^yxt^^f. 


History  of  the   United  Mates.  253 

187&.  sing  the  question  of  the  status  of  the  Chinese  in  the  U.  S.,  and 
the  means  of  enlarging  the  commercial  relations  of  the  twn 
countries.  The  Emperor  of  Japan  appoints  a  committee  of  diff- 
nitaries  to  receive  and  entertain  the  General  in  his  behalf,  ana 
places  the  summer  palace  in  readiness  for  his  use.  The  com. 
mittee  sail  from  Yokohama,  14  June,  and  meet  the  General  anrf 
party  at  Nagasaki,  3  July;  preceeding  direct  toTokio,  the  Gen 
is  personally  welcomed  by  the  Emperor,  4,  with  a  warmth  o? 
cordiality  unusual  in  Japanese  court  life.  Two  months  are 
passed  in  this  country,  where  the  citizens  vie  with  the  Govern 
ment  in  the  elaborateness  of  their  entertainments,  and  on  3  Sen, 
the  party  sail  from  Yokohama  for  San  Francisco,  where  tttei? 
arrive,  20,  thus  ending  the  most  remarkable  pleasure-tour  «*v 
record.  * 

The  Hon.  Morton  McMichael,  of  Philadelphia,  "  father  of 
Fairmount  Park,"  and  editor  of  the  North  American,  dies,  8 
Jan.,  aged  72. 

Mrs.  Ada  L.  Anderson  accomplishes  the  feat  of  walking  2700 
quarter-miles  in  that  number  quarter-hours,  at  Brooklyn,  N.Y., 
13  Jan.,  making  her  last  quarter-mile  in  2:37f  the  quickee* 
time  of  the  walk. 

Chief  Justice  Charles  P.  Daly,  of  New  York,  is  elected  Pred- 
dent  of  the  American  Geographical  Society,  14  Jan. 

A  bill  providing  for  the  payment  of  arrears  of  pensions,  hav 
ing  passed  both  Houses  of  Congress,  is  signed  by  the  President, 
25  Jan.;  the  lowest  estimate  of  the  amount  required  to  pay  all 
claims  under  it  is  $80,000,000. 

The  subscriptions  to  the  new  4  per  cent.  Government  loan 
during  Jan.  amount  to  $158,851,150;  during  the  same  period 
Secretary  Sherman  has  called  in  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $150,- 
000,000. 

The  U.  S.  Centennial  Commission  closes  its  financial  affairs 
and  adjourns  sine  die,  Jan.;  the  total  receipts  from  all  sources 
were  $11,161,611,  and  the  expenditures,  including  the  return  of 
the  Government  appropriation  of  $1,500,000  and  dividends  to 
stockholders,  about  $150,000  less. 

A  billiard  tournament  for  the  championship  of  the  world,  the 
champion  vase,  and  a  purse  of  $1,000,  is  won  in  New  York,  by 
Jacob  Schaefer,  7  Feb.,  with  a  score  of  seven  games  and  an 
average  of  85. 

Thomas  Lord,  the  New  York  millionaire  whose  marriage  with 
Mrs.  Hicks  created  a  sensation  in  American  and  European 
society  circles,  aies,  8  Feb.,  aged  85. 

The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  is  conferred  upon  Peter  Cooper 
by  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York.  12  Feb.,  Mr. 
Cooper's  88th  birthday.  •  » 

A  bill  to  restrict  the  immigration  of  Chinese  to 'the  U.  S.,  by 
making  it  unlawful  for  the  master  of  any  vessel  to  bring  to  this 
.  *  -  country  more  than  15  Chinese  passengers,  which  has  passed  the 
House  after  a  heated  debate,  is  passed  in  the  Senate,  15  Feb.  by 
a  vote  of  39  to  27;  the  President  vetoes  the  bill,  1  March,  and 
Congress  fails  to  pass  it  over  the  veto.  During  the  debate  in  the 
Senate,  14,  Senator  B.  K.  Bruce  occupies  the  chair,  being  the 


254  History  of  the  tTnited  States. 

1879.     first  colored  mail  who  sat  oificially  in  the  seat  of  the 
President  of  the  U.  S. 

Congress  meets  in  extra  session,  18  March;  SamuelJ.  Ran 
dall  is  elected  Speaker  of  the  House;  in  the  reconstruction  of 
the  Senate  Committees  all  the  chairmanships  except  three  go 
to  the  Democrats,  viz:  Finance,  Mr.  Bayard;  Foreign  Relations, 
Mr.  Eaton;  Commerce,  Mr.  Gordon;  Judiciary,  Mr.  Thurman; 
Appropriations,  Mr.  Davis  (West  Va.);  Patents,  Mr.  Kernanj 
and  Privileges  and  Elections,  Mr.  Saulsbury.  The  South  fur- 
nishes  30  of  the  43  Democratic  Senators,  of  whom  19  are  ex- 
Confederate  officers. 

Gen.  John  A.  Dix  dies  at  his  residence  in  New  York,  21 
April,  aged  81. 

Both  Houses  of  Congress  pass  a  bill  prohibiting  the  use  of 
Federal  troops  on  election  days,  May;  the  President  vetoes  it  as 
conflicting  with  his  constitutional  prerogatives  and  as  nullifying 
the  laws  of  1792;  the  bill  fails  to  pass  the  veto. 

A  great  Mormon  demonstration  takes  place  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
Utah,  6  May,  in  honor  of  Daniel  H.  Wells,  first  counselor  to  the 
Twelve  Apostles,  for  his  refusal  to  reveal  the  secrets  of  the  En 
dowment  House  before  the  U.  S.  Court. 

William  Lloyd  Garrison,  the  noted  Abolitionist,  dies  hi  New 
York,  24  May,  aged  75. 

St.  Patrick's  Cathedral,  on  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  is  dedi 
cated  with  imposing  ceremonies,  25  May. 

President  Hayes  vetoes  the  Legislative  Appropriation  Bill,  29 
May,  and  the  House  refuses  to  pass  it  over  the  veto,  by  a  vote 
of  113  to  91;  under  a  suspension  of  the  rules,  the  House  passes 
it,  9  June,  by  a  vote  of  188  to  22,  the  negative  votes  be.mg 
Democratic.  * 

A  great  sensation  is  produced  in  New  York,  11  June,  by  the 
finding  of  the  dead  body  of  Mrs.  Dr.  Alonzo  G.  Hull,  a  prom- 
inent  society  lady,  at  her  residence,  under  circumstances  sug 
gesting  a  mysterious  murder;  the  detectives  are  baffled  in  their 
search  for  the  murderer,  and  appear  to  be  trying  to  weave  a 
circumstantial  net  around  Dr.  Hull  himself,  when  a  negro, 
Chastine  Cox,  is  arrested  in  Boston,  23,  and  led  to  confess  that 
he  committed  the  murder  in  an  attempt  at  burglary.  He  is 
brought  to  New  York,  indicted,  tried,  and  subsequently  hanged 
for  the  crime. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Dorsey  dies,  July,  and  leaves  by  will  her  beautiful 
house  at  Beauvoir,  Miss.,  several  valuable  plantations,  and  all 
her  personal  property  to  Jefferson  Davis. 

Secretary  Schurz  makes  a  visit  to  the  Spotted  Tail  Agency, 
and  personally  investigates  the  Sioux  grievances,  Aug.-Sep. 

Daniel  Drew  dies  suddenly  at  his  residence  in  New  York,  18 
Sep.,  aged  82.  © 

An  Indian  outbreak  occurs  at  the  White  River  Agency,  in 
Colorado,  29  Sep.,  when  the  Utes  kill  Indian  Agent  N.  C. 
Meeker  and  several  of  his  assistants,  carry  the  women  and 
children  into  captivity,  and  kill  Major  Thornburgh,  who  had 
been  sent  to  the  Agent's  relief,  with  many  of  his  command;  the 
surviving  troops  intrench  in  a  gulch  and  sustain  a  heavy  fire 
from  the  bluifs  until  2  Oct.,  when  Captain  Dodge  and  40  colored 


History  of  the  United  States.  265 

soldiers  cut  their  way  through  the  Indian  force  and  relieve 
Captain  Payne's  beleaguered  garrison.  Gen.  Merritt  reaches 
the  scene,  5,  to  relieve  the  command,  having  inarched  170  miles 
in  a  little  over  two  days.  Gen.  Adams  brings  the  women  into 
camp,  24,  with  proposals  for  peace  and  a  promise  from  Ouray, 
the  head  Chief,  to  arrest  the  murderers  of  Mr.  Meeker  and  his 
men. 

Henry  C.  Carey,  the  foremost  American  political  economist, 
dies  at  Philadelphia,  13  Oct.,  aged  86. 

Maj.-Gen.  Joseph  Hooker,  U.  S.  A.,  dies  suddenly  at  Garden 
City,  L.  I.,  31  Oct.,  aged  64. 

Hon.  Zachariah  Chandler,  U.  S.  Senator  from  Michigan,  is 
found  dead  in  bed  at  a  hotel  in  Chicago,  1  Nov.,  aged  66. 

The  Rev.  Lovick  Peirce,  D.  D.,  the  Nestor  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  dies  at  Sparta,  Ga.,  10  Nov.,  aged  94. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $266,947,883;  the  debt 
is  $2,219,782,408;  the  imports  are  $466,073,775;  and  the  exports, 
$717,093,777. 

Contrary  to  general  expectation,  the  Legislature  of  Maine  is 
organized  at  Augusta,  7  Jan..  without  bloodshed,  but  not  with 
out  scenes  of  great  excitement.  Gen.  Chamberlain  assumes 
control  of  all  the  public  property  and  institutions,  9,  promising 
to  hold  them  for  the  people  until  Governor  Garcelon's  successor 
is  legally  elected  and  qualified. 

The  officers  of  the  New  York  Society  for  the  Prevention  oi 
Cruelty  to  Children  rescue  a  number  of  children  from  starvation 
and  cruel  treatment  at  the  Shepherd's  Fold,  17  Jan.,  and  pro 
secute  the  Rev.  Edward  Cowley,  the  manager,  to  a  conviction 
and  imprisonment. 

Hon.  Alexander  H.  Stephens  makes  a  memorable  speech  in 
the  House  of  Representatives,  19  Feb.,  against  the  Democratic 
policy  of  attaching  political  riders  to  appropriation  bills. 

Congress  passes  a  joint  resolution  authorizing  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  to  transport  contributions  for  the  relief  of  the  suf 
fering  poor  of  Ireland,  Feb.;  he  accordingly  selects  the  U.  S. 
S.  Constellation  for  the  mission,  and  she  is  put  into  commission, 
18  March.  Hon.  Levi  P.  Morton,  James  Gordon  Bennett,  and 
Hon.  W.  R.  Grace  volunteer  to  contribute  each  a  fourth  part  of 
all  the  cargo  she  can  carry. 

M.  Ferdinand  de  Lesseps  is  received  by  the  American  Society 
of  Civil  Engineers,  at  New  York,  26  Feb.,  where  he  delivers  an 
address  on  his  Suez  Canal  labors  and  his  projected  canal  across 
the  Isthmus  of  Darien. 

Denis  Kearney,  the  sand-lots  agitator  of  San  Francisco,  is 
sentenced  to  six  months'  imprisonment  and  to  pay  a  fine  of 
$1,000  for  disturbing  the  peace  and  using  language  tending  to 
incite  riots,  March. 

The  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  New  York,  is  formally 
opened,  30  March. 

The  Egyptian  Obelisk,  presented  by  the  Khedive  to  the  city 
of  New  York,  is  successfully  embarked  at  Alexandria,  31  March. 
A  rumor  gains  credence  that  William  H.  Vanderbilt  has 
engaged  to  pay  Commander  Gorringe,  U.  S.  N.,  $75,000  upon 
the  arrival  of  the  shaft  at  New  York,  for  the  expense  of  takia^ 


256  History  of  the   i'fmtvd 

1880.     it  down  and  transporting  it;  the  shaft  reaches  New  York,  Ifc 
.July,  and  is  erected  in  Central  Park. 

The  centenary  of  the  birth  of  Win.  E.  Channing,  the  apostle 
of  Onitarianism,  is  celebrated  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  7  April,  by 
the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  a  memorial  church. 

Postmaster-General  Key  resigns  his  office,  May,  and  is  suc 
ceeded  by  Hon.  Horace  Maynard,  the  U.S.  Minister  to  Turkey,, 
whose  diplomatic  position  is  filled  by  the  appointment  of  Gen., 
James  Longstreet,  of  Confederate  fame. 

A  Republican  Anti-Third-Term  Convention  is  held  at  St. 
Louis,  6  May,  under  the  presidency  of  Gen.  John  B.  Henderson, 
to  protest  against  the  renomination  of  Gen.  Grant  for  the  Presi 
dency. 

The  centennial  anniversary  of  the  settlement  of  the  city  of 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  is  observed,  17-24  May,  the  chief  event  being 
the  unveiling  of  an  equestrian  statue  of  Gen.  Jackson,  erected 
by  popular  subscription  on  the  Capitol-grounds,  20. 

The  first  national  meet  of  American  bicyclists  is  held  at  New 
port,  R.I.,  31  May,  when  31  clubs  are  represented  by  160  wheel 
men;  the  parade  of  145  machines  awakens  a  strong  interest  in 
this  new  method  of  exercise  and  sport. 

The  taking  of  the  Census  of  1880  begins  simultaneously  in 
every  city,  town,  village,  and  hamlet  in  the  U.  S.,  except  ii 
Alaska  and  the  Indian  Territory,  1  June;  the  reports,  witl 
the  above  exceptions,  show  the  population  to  be  50,152,866. 

The  Republican  National  Convention  meets  in  Chicago,  fe 
June;  Senator  George  F.  Hoar,  of  Mass.,  is  chosen  permanent 
president.  The  platform  is  adopted,  5,  and  the  first  ballot  foi 
a  Presidential  candidate  is  taken,  7,  with  the  following  result: 
U.  S.  Grant,  304;  James  G.  Blame,  284;  John  Sherman,  93; 
George  F.  Edmunds,  34;  Elihu  B.Washburne,30;  and  William 
Windom,  10.  The  36th  and  final  ballot  is  taken,  8,  when  Gen. 
James  A.  Garfield,  of  Ohio,  is  nominated,  he  receiving  399 
votes  to  307  for  Grant,  42  for  Blaine,  3  for  Sherman,  and  5  for 
Washbnrne.  Gen.  Chester  A.  Arthur,  of  New  York,  is  nom 
inated  for  Vice-President  on  the  first  ballot,  receiving  468  votes 
to  193  for  Washburne,  44  for  Marshall  Jewell,  of  Conn.,  30  foi 
Horace  Maynard,  of  Tenn.,  5  for  Senator  B.  K.  Bruce  (colored), 
Df  Miss.,  2  for  Judge  Davis,  of  Texas,  4  for  J.  L.  Alcorn,  of 
Miss.,  1  for  Judge  Settle,  of  N.C.,  and  1  for  Stewart  L.  Wood- 
ford,  of  N.  Y. 

The  Greenback  National  Convention  is  held  in  Chicago,  9 
Tune;  the  balloting  for  candidates  begins  11,  the  first  being 
in  informal  one  in  which  Gen.  J.  B.  Weaver,  of  Iowa,  receives 
&24i  votes;  Hendr^k  B.  Wright,  of  Penn.,  126.);  Stephen  B 
Dillaye,  of  N.  J.,  119;  Gen.  B.  F.  Butler,  95;  and  Solon  Chase, 
)f  Me.,  89.  Gen.  Weaver  is  declared  unanimously  elected,  and 
Jen.  J.  B.  Chambers,  of  Texas,  is  nominated  for  Vice-Presi- 
lent. 

The  Prohibition  National  Convention  is  held  at  Cleveland,  17 
June;  Neil  Dow,  of  Me.,  is  unanimously  nominated  for  Presi- 
lent,  and  A.  M.  Thompson,  of  Ohio,  for  Vice-President. 

The  Demo'Tatfe  National  Convention  wambles  in  Ojpcfo 


History  of  ite  United  States.  257 

9 

nati.  22  June.  The  New  York  delegation  ^resent  a  letter  from 
880.  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  positively  declining  to  allow  the  use  of  his 
name  in  connection  \vith  the  Presidential  nomination.  Hon 
John  W .  Stevenson  is  elected  permanent  president,  and  the 
Tammany  Hall  delegation  from  New  York  are  rejected.  On  the 
third  ballot,  24,  Gen.  W  infield  S.  Hancock,  U.S.  A.  is  nomi 
nated  for  President,  receiving  705  out  of  738  votes,  and  Hon. 
William  H.  English,  of  Ind.,  is  nominated  for  Vice-President 
on  the  first  ballot. 

The  bicentenary  of  the  discovery  of  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony, 
by  the  Franciscan  friar  Louis  Hennepin,  is  celebrated  ~t  Min 
neapolis,  Minn.,  3  July. 

Dr.  Henry  S.  Tanner,  of  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  completes  the 
feat  of  abstaining  from  food  for  forty  consecutive  days,  during 
which  he  lives  on  water  alone,  at  New  York,  7  Aug. 

Gen.  A .  T.  A.  Torbert,  the  famous  Union  cavalry  officer  ic 
the  civil  war,  is  lost  at  the  foundering  of  the  steamship  Vera 
Cruz,  off  the  Florida  coast,  29  Aug. 

The  250th  anniversary  of  the  settlement  of  the  city  of  Bos 
ton  is  appropriately  observed,  17  Sep. 

The  150th  anniversary  of  the  settlement  of  the  city  of  Balti 
more  is  celebrated  with  imposing  historical  and  industrial 
demonstrations,  11-1G  Oct. 

The  PiesMential  election  takes  place,  2  Nov.;  the  return* 
show  a  popular  Re|tt:**hcsn  vote  of  4,450,921;  Democratic. 
4,447,888;  Greenback,  307,740;  and  Prohibition,  10,305;  tin- 
electoral  votes  aie«  Rep  iblican,  214;  Democratic,  155. 

Mrs.  LucretU  INio^t.  philanthropist,  reformer,  and  preacher, 
dies  in  Montgomery  Co..  Peim.,  11  Nov.,  aged  87. 

Prof.  James  B.  Jmgell,  John  F.  Swift,  and  William  H.  Tres- 
cott,  Commissioners  Plenipotentiary  sent  to  China  in  March  to 
negotiate  a  treaty  which  shall  restrict  the  immigration!  of  the 
Chinese  to  the  U  S.,  conclude  their  negotiations  and  sign  two 
treaties  at  Pekin,  7  Nov.,  one  being  exclusively  commercial. 

The  Rev.  EdwJi  H.  Chapin,  D.D.,  one  of  the  most  noted  of 
American  clergy  nen,  dies  in  New  York,  26  Dec.,  aged  66. 

The  national  e  spensesof  the  year  are  $267,642.957,  the  deb' 
is  $2,121,481,475  ,  the  imports  are  $760.989,056:  and  the  exports. 
$833,294,246.  c 

i.^81,  An  Internationa)  Sanitary  Conference,  attended  by  representa 
tives  of  19  govc  rnments,  assembles  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  5 
January. 

The  Egyptia  i  obelisk  is  set  in  its  permanent  position  in  Cen 
tral  Park,  New  York,  22  Jan. 

The  Rev.  Join  S.  Macintosh,  D.  D.,  one  of  the  most  emineir. 
preachers  in  thi.  Irish  Presbyterian  Church,  accepts  a  call  of  the 
Second  Presbyt erian  Church,  of  Philadelphia,  Jan. 

Hon.  Fernando  Wood,  M.  C.  from  New  York,  and  Chairman 
of  the  House  Jommittee  of  Ways  and  Means,  dies  at  Hot 
Springs,  Ark.,  13  Feb.,  aged  68;  the  Committee  elect  Mr.  Tuc 
ker,  of  Va.,  to  succeed  linn  as  Chairman. 

Hon.  James  A.  Garfield  is  inaugurated  President  of  the  U.S. 
4  March.    Th  ;  inauguration  ball  is  helu  in  the  new  building  of 
&e  Nationa'   Museum,    tke  eompletirr    of    whi«b   ha« 


258  History  of  the  United  States. 

w 

1881.  hastened  for  the  occasion.  The  Senate  meets  in  special  execu 
tive  session  immediately  after  the  inaugural  ceremonies.  The 
new  President  submits  the  following  cabinet  appointments,  5: 
Secretary  of  State,  James  G.  Elaine,  Me.;  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  William  Wmdom,  Minn.;  Secretary  of  War,  Robert 
T.  Lincoln  (son  of  the  martyr  President),  111.;  Secretary  of 
the  Navy,  William  H.  Hunt,  La.;  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
Samuel  J.  Kirkwood,  Iowa;  Postmaster-General,  Thomas  L. 
James,  N.  Y.;  and  Attorney-General,  Wayne  McVeagh,  Penn. 

The  President  renews  President  Hayes's  nomination  of  Hon. 
Stanley  Matthews  for  the  vacancy  in  the  U.  S,  Supreme  Court, 
14  March,  and  the  nomination,  is  confirmed  after  a  spirited 
debate,  12  May, 

Postmaster-General  James  presents  a  paper  to  the  President, 
28  March,  in  which  Vice-President  Arthur,  the  Postmaster- 
General,  and  U.  S,  Senators  Conklingand  Platt,  of  N.  Y,,  pro 
test  against  the  removal  of  Gen,  Merritt  from  the  Collectorship 
at  New  York,  and  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Robertson,  and  claim 
that  the  Senators  from  New  York  should  have  been  consulted, 
by  courtesy,  in  reference  to  the  contemplated  appointments  in 
that  State.  As  the  President  does  not  recede  from  his  posi 
tion,  Messrs.  Conkling  and  Platt  announce  their  resignation  in 
the  Senate,  16  May;  their  letters  of  resignation  are  presented 
to  the  Legislature  of  New  York,  19,  and  balloting  for  their 
successors  begins,  31;  both  Senators  and  their  friends  labor  to 
secure  their  re-election,  and  disgraceful  scenes  attend  the  pro 
gress  of  the  balloting,  which  continues  until  22  July,  when 
Elbridge  G.  Lapham  is  elected  to  succeed  Mr.  Conkling,  and 
Warner  Miller  to  succeed  Mr,  Platt, 

Ex-Secretary  of  State  William  M,  Evarts  and  ex-U,  S.  Sena 
tors  Allen  G-  Thurman  and  Timothy  Howe  sail  for  France,  5 
April,  to  attend  the  International  Monetary  Conference  in  Paris, 
as  representatives  of  the  U.  S. 

Postmaster-General  James  begins  an  investigation  into  tin? 
alleged  "Star-Route"  frauds  in  the  conveyance  of  the  mails, 
March.  He  issues  an  order  forbidding  any  increase  of  service 
or  compensation  on  any  of  the  mail  routes  without  his  sanction, 
depriving  his  assistants  of  the  power  of  granting  increases  at 
discretion,  The  publication  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Star- 
Route  service  has  been  "  expedited  "  creates  a  great  sensation. 
Gen.  Thomas  J,  Brad}',  Second  Assistant  Postmaster-General, 
under  these  exposures,  resigns,  20  April;  J,  L.  French,  one  of 
liis  clerks,  is  removed,  26;  and  Mr.  Me  Grew,  the  Sixth  Auditor 
of  the  Treasury  Department,  who  has  had  charge  of  the  Post 
Office  accounts,  resigns,  2  June;  a  number  of  Senators,  Con 
gressmen,  and  other  prominent  men  are  implicated  in  the  frauds; 
the  prosecution  of  the  Star-Route  case  is  placed  in  the  hands  of 
the  Attorney-General,  who  is  assisted  by  W.A.  Cook,  of  Wash 
ington,  D.  C.,  Bonj.  H.  Brcwster,  of  Philadelphia,  and  (after 
the  accession  of  President  Arthur)  George  Bliss,  of  New 
York;  the  case  is  dismissed  by  Judge  Cox,  10  Nov.,  on  the 
ground  that  the  proceeding  by  information  cannot  be  sustained. 

Mrs.  Vinnie  Ream-Hoxie's  heroic  bronze  statue  of  Admiral 
Fnrragut,  the  first  statue  ever  cast  by  the  Government,  anol  the 


History  of  the  United  States.  259 

1881.    only  statue  of  a  naval  officer  ever  ordered  by  it,  is  unveiled  at 
Washington,  D,  C.,  25  April. 

Prof.  Henry  Youle  Hind,  of  Windsor,  N,  S.,  an  authority  on 
the  subject  of  the  Canadian  fisheries,  creates  an  excitement, 
April,  by  appealing  to  the  British  Foreign  Office  for  permission 
to  substantiate  his  charge  of  fraud  and  forgery  preferred 
against  the  Canadian  officials  who  prepared  the  Canadian  statis 
tics  on  which  the  Halifax  Fishery  Commission  made  the  award 
of  $5,500,000  against  the  U.  S. 

The  "(Edipus  Tyrannus"  of  Sophocles  is  performed  in  the 
original  Greek,  with  classic  scenery  and  costumes,  by  the 
students  of  Harvard  at  the  University,  17  May. 

The  U.  S.  Senate  adjourns  sine  die,  20  May,  after  confirming 
all  the  important  nominations  made  by  the  President  except 
that  of  William  E.  Chandler  for  Solicitor-General,  which  is 
rejected  by  a  vote  of  19  to  24. 

The  Navy  Department  dispatches  the  steam  whaler  Eodgers 
from  San  Francisco,  in  seach  of  the  Jeannette  and  other  missing 
Arctic  vessels,  15  June. 

Charles  J.  Guiteau,  a-  disappointed  office-seeker,  attempts  tc 
"  remove  "  President  Garfield  by  assassination,  in  the  waiting- 
room  of  the  Baltimore  and  Potomac  Railroad  Depot  at  Wash 
ington,  D.  C.  As  the  President  is  about  taking  the  cars  to  spend 
a  few  clays  \vith  his  sick  wife  at  Long  Branch,  N.  J.,  2  July, 
Guiteau  fires  two  shots  at  him,  one  of  which  takes  effect; 
he  is  immediately  arrested  and  lodged  in  the  District  Jail; 
and  letters  found  in  his  pockets  show  that  he  has  premeditated 
the  murder  of  the  President.  The  wounded  President  is  removed 
to  the  White  House,  and  several  physicians  and  surgeons  make 
an  examination  of  his  injuries  and  pronounce  them  liable  to 
terminate  fatally  within  a  few  hours.  The  intelligence  pro 
duces  consternation  throughout  the  country,  and  all  prepara 
tions  for  the  celebration  of  the  4th  of  July  are  abandoned. 
The  surgeons  in  attendance  are.  Drs.  L>.  W.  Bliss,  J.  K.  Barnes, 
J.  J.  Woodward,  and  Robert  Reyburn,  of  Washington,  D.  C.; 
the"  chief  nurse  is  Mrs.  Dr.  Edson,  of  the  same  city;  and  Drs. 
Hayes  Agnew,  of  Philadelphia,  and  Frank  H.Hamilton,  of 
New  York,  are  summoned  as  consulting  surgeons.  Amidst  the 
prayers  of  Christendom  for  his  recovery,  the  condition  of  the 
President  improves  and  relapses  by  turns  until  the  close  of 
August,  when  it  is  determined  to  remove  him  from  the  malarial 
influences  of  the  national  capital  to  the  ocean-purified  shore 
of  Long  Branch.  A  special  train  is  prepared  and  the  journey 
is  made,  6. Sep.,  the  distance  being  covered  in  about  7  hours,  or 
at  the  rate  of  55  miles  per  hour.  He  stands  the  transit  well,  and 
becomes  cheerful  when  placed  in  a  room  in  the  Francklyn  Cot 
tage  facing  the  ocean.  While  apparently  recovering  with 
rapidity,  lie  is  suddenly  seized  with  chills,  16,  which  last  until 
the  morning  of  19,  when  even  the  confident  Bliss  abandons 
hope;  at  10  o'clock  that  night  he  awakens  from  a  sound  slum 
ber,  complains  of  a  severe  pain  around  his  heart,  and  expires 
10:35,  after  an  80-day  struggle  for  life,  in  the  50th  year  of  his 
age,  The  remains  are  taken  from  Long  Branch,  21,  and  lie  in 
State  hi  the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol  at  Washington  untiU33? 


260  History  of  the   United  States. 

1881.  when  funeral  services  are  held.  They  reach  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
24,  and  lie  in  state  in  a  meinoria  i  pavilion  erected  on  Monument 
Square  until  26,  when  public  funeral  ceremonier  M'e  held,  and 
the  body  is  temporarily  placed  in  the  receiving  ,/iult  of  Lake 
View  Cemetery.  A  few  moments  after  the  death  of  the  Presi 
dent,  the  members  of  the  Cabinet  at  Long  Branch  notify  Vice- 
President  Arthur,  in  New  York,  of  the  event,  and  urge  him  to 
take  the  oath  of  office  without  delay;  this  oath  is  accordingly 
administered  to  him  at  his  residence  by  Judge  John  R.  Brady, 
between  2  and  3  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  20  Sep.  The  new 
President  hastens  to  Washington  and  makes  a  call  of  condo 
lence  upon  Mrs.  Garfield.  He  issues  a  proclamation  designating 
26  Sep. — the  day  of  the  funeral — as,  a  day  of  fasting  and 
prayer  throughout  the  country. 

Guiteau,  in  his  cell,  attempts  to  murder  one  of  his  guards, 
William  MeGill,  7  Aug.  He  is  fired  at  by  one  of  his  guards, 
Sergeant  John  Mason,  13  Sep.  He  is  indicted  for  murder,  7 
Oct.,  and  brought  to  trial  before  Judge  Cox,  14  Nov.,  in  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  District  of  Columbia.  The  prosecution 
is  conducted  by  U.  S.  District  Attorney  George  B.  Corkhill, 
and  George  M.  Scoville  appears  as  Counsel  for  the  defense;  the 
trial  is  continued  during  the  remainder  ot  the  year,  the  prisoner 
being  all  the  time  demonstrative  and  abusive. 

Hon.  Ambrose  E.  Burnside,  soldier,  Governor,  and  U.  S. 
Senator,  dies  suddenly  at  Bristol,  R.  I.,  13  Sep.,  aged  57. 

Hon.  Charles  J.  Folger,  Chief  Justice  of  the  New  York  Court 
of  Appeals,  is  sworn  into  office  as  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
15  Nov.,  succeeding  Mr.  Windom,  who  returns  to  the  U.  S. 
Senate.  Secretary  Blaine  resigns,  15  Dec.,  and  is  succeeded  by 
ex-LJ.  S.  Senator  F.  T.  Frelinghuysen,  of  N.  J.;  and  Attorney- 
General  McVeagh  resigns,  and  is  succeeded  by  Hon.  Benjamin 
H.  Brewster,  of  Penn.,  16  Dec.  • 

The  centennial  of  the  surrender  of  the  British  army  under 
Lord  Cornwallis  is  celebrated  at  Yorktown,  Va.,  19  Nov.,  with 
elaborate  ceremonies,  in  which  the  descendants  of  .French  and 
German  officers  who  served  with  Washington  participate. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $254,817,363;  the  debt 
is  $2,018,869,697;  the  imports  are  $753,240,125;  and  the  exports, 
$898,153,891. 

1882.  The  steam  whaler  Rodgers,  which  left  San  Francisco,  15  June, 
last,  in  search  of  the  Arctic  exploring  steamer  Jeannelte,  is 
burned  and  sunk  at  her  winter-quarters  in  St.  Lawrence  Bay,  1 
January.  • 

Particulars  are  received  early  in  Jan.  of  the  crushing  of  the 
Jeannette  in  the  ice,  in  latitude  77°,  longitude  157°,  on  the  11 
June  last.  The  crew  then  embarked  in  three  boats,  but  were  soon 
separated  by  wind  and  fog;  Engineer  Mellville,  with  11  men, 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  Lena  River  in  one  boat,  19  Sep.; 
subsequently  a  second  boat,  with  Commander  De  Long,  Dr. 
Ambler,  and  12  men,  reaches  another  part  of  the  same  river. 
Mellvillo's  party  make  their  way  to  Irkutsk,  and  in  Oct.,  two 
sailor's  of  DeLong's  party  arrive  at  Bulcour  in  search  of  aid; 
the  sailors  join  Mellville's  party,  and  all  set  off  to  rescue  De 
Long;  nothing  further  is  heard  until  a  telegram  is  received  from 


History  of  the   United  States.  261 

1882.  Mellville,  under  date  of  24  March,  of  this  year,  announcing 
that  he  has  found  De  Long  and  his  party,  all  dead,  and  is 
continuing  in  search  of  Lieut,  Chipp  and  the  crew  of  the  third 
boat. 

Hon.  Timothy  0.  Howe  is  confirmed  as  Postmaster-General, 
5  Jan.,  succeeding  Mr.  T.  L.  James. 

Ex- Judge  John  K,  Porter  becomes  associated  with  the  prose 
cution  of  Guiteau;  during  the  examination  of  witnesses  the 
murderer  grows  more  violent  and  abusive,  and  is  frequently 
threatened  by  Judge  Cox  with  removal  from  the  court  room. 
Judge  Porter  begins  his  final  address,  23  Jan.;  Judge  Cox 
charges  the  jury,  25,  and  within  half  an  hour  a  verdict  of  guilty 
as  indicted  is  agreed  upon.  The  tragedy  terminates  30  June, 
when  Guiteau  is  hanged  in  the  District  Jail, 

The  Rev.  Henry  W.  Bellows,  D.  D.,  a  distinguished  Unitarian 
minister  and  president  of  the  U.  S.  Sanitary  Commission  during 
the  civil  war,  dies  at  New  York,  30  Jan.,  aged  67. 

Congress  passes  a  bill  giving  Mrs.  Garfield  a  pension  of 
$5,000  per  annum,  which  the  President  approves,  16  Feb. 

A  fire  destroys  the  business  part  of  Haverhill,  Mass.,  17  Feb., 
entailing  a  loss  of  $2,250,000,  and  affecting  282  firms  and  busi 
ness  houses. 

President  Arthur  nominates  ex-Senator  Roscoe  Conkling  to 
be  an  Associate  Justice  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  24  Feb. 
The  nomination  is  confirmed,  but  Mr.  Conkling  declines  three 
days  after  confirmation,  3  March.  The  vacancy  is  filled  by  the 
nomination  of  Judge  Samuel  Blatchford,  of  the  U,  S.  Circuit 
Court,  who  is  unanimously  confirmed. 

Hon,  James  G.  Elaine  delivers  a  eulogy  upon  the  late 
President  Garfield  at  the  national  memorial  services  held  in  the 
hall  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  Washington,  D,  C,, 
27  Feb. 

Congress  passes  a  bill  for  the  apportionment  of  representa 
tion  on  the  basis  of  the  census  of  1880,  Feb.,  which  increases 
the  number  of  Representatives  to  325. 

The  second  trial  of  the  Star  Route  cases  is  called  in  the  crimi 
nal  court  at  Washington,  9  March;  Gen.  Brady's  bail  is  fixed 
at  $20,000,  and  that  of  the  minor  conspirators  at  from  $500  to 
$5,000.  Attorney-General  Brewster  promises  to  lead  a  vigorous 
prosecution,  aided  by  George  Bliss,  of  New  York;  Col.  Kobert 
G.  Ingersoll,  a  personal  friend  of  the  incriminated  ex-Senator 
Stephen  W,  Dorsey,  is  chief  counsel  engaged  for  the  defence. 
On  the  trial  the  jury  render  a  verdict  of  guilty  against  several 
of  the  alleged  minor  conspirators,  and  fail  to  agree  on  the  guilt 
of  the  principals,  11  Sep.  The  Government  makes  another 
effort  to  convict  the  principals  in  Dec.,  and  the  case  is  hardly 
opened  at  the  close  of  the  year,  , 

Congress  passes  an  anti-Polygamy  Bill,  drafted  by  Senator 
Edmunds,  of  Vt.,  22  March,  which  provides  for  the  punishment 
of  polygamy  by  fine  and  imprisonment  upon  conviction,  and 
also  for  the  disfranchisenient  of  polygamists. 

Henry  W.  Longfellow,  the  world-popular  poet  and  man  of 
letters,  dies  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  24  March,  aged  75, 


262  History  of  the   United  States. 

1882.  Jesse  James,  the  notorious  desperado  of  the  West,  is  killed 
by  the  Ford  brothers,  at  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  3  April, 

President  Arthur  vetoes  an  anti-Chinese  Bill,  restricting 
Chinese  immigration  to  the  U.  S.  for  20  years,  and  providing 
for  the  registration  of  all  Chinamen  now  in  the  country,  4 
April.  A  second  and  modified  bill  limiting  the  restriction  to  10 
years  is  approved  by  the  President,  6  May. 

Captain  H.  W.  Howgate,  of  the  U.  S,  Signal  Office,  arrested 
on  a  charge  of  having  embezzled  funds  of  the  U.  S,  in  his  keep 
ing  as  disbursing  officer,  escapes  from  custody,  13  April,  and 
successfully  eludes  capture. 

Judge  Hunt,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  resigns,  April,  and  is 
appointed  U,  S.  Minister  to  Russia.  William  E,  Chandler,  of  N, 
H. ,  is  nominated  as  his  successor  in  the  Navy  Department,  and 
the  nomination  encounters  strong  opposition  in  the  Senate, 
which,  however,  confirms  it.  Secretary  of  the  Interior  Kirkwood 
also  resigns,  and  is  succeeded  by  Hon.  Henry  M.  Teller,  of 
Col. 

Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  one  of  the  most  realistic  of  American 
authors,  dies  at  Concord,  Mass.,  27  April,  aged  79. 

A  bill  for  the  appointment  of  a  Tariff  Commission,  passes 
both  Houses  of  Congress,  and  the  President,  5  May,  appoints 
Messrs,  Henry  W,  Oliver,  Jr,,  Robert  P,  Porter,  Jacob  A, 
Ambler,  John  W.  H.  Underwood,  John  L.  Hayes,  Duncan  F. 
Kenner,  and  Austin  M.  Garland  as  the  Commission.  They 
submit  an  exhaustive  report  to  Congress,  4  Dec.,  which  is 
referred  to  the  Committee  on  Finance  in  the  Senate  and  the 
Committee  of  Ways  and  Means  in  the  House. 

A  bill  to  extend  the  charters  of  the  national  banks  is  signed 
by  the  President,  12  July. 

The  President  vetoes  a  bill  appropriating  nearly  $19,000,000 
for  the  improvement  of  rivers  and  harbors,  1  Aug.,  and  it 
is  passed  over  the  veto  on  the  following  day. 

Congress  appropriates  $57,000  for  compensation  of  President 
Garfield's  medical  attendants,  and  an  aggregate  of  $11,413  for 
the  extra  pay  of  the  White  House  employes  during  his  illness. 

Baltimore  institutes  an  oriole  festival,  similar  to  the  Mar-di 
Gras  of  New  Orleans,  12-14  Sep. 

Philadelphia  celebrates  the  bicentennial  of  the  landing  of 
William  Penn,  22-27  Oct. 

The  German  astronomers,  Profs.  Muller  and  Deichmuller, 
observe  the  transit  of  Venus,  at  the  observatory  of  Trinity 
College,  Hartford,  Conn.,  6  Dec. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $254,009,448;  the 
debt  is  $1,920,467,693;  the  imports  are  $767,111,964;  and  the 
exports,  $776,720,003. 

1883.  The  House  bill  to  reduce  internal  revenue  taxation  having  been 
adopted,  is  sent  to  the  Senate,  where  it  is  recommitted  to  the 
Committee  on  Finance,  who  report  it,  4  Jan.,  with  amendments 
embracing  a  thorough  revision  of  the  tariff  based  upon  the 
report  of  the  Tariff  Comm  ission  ;  after  several  conferences  the 
bill  is  adopted  by  both  Houses,  8  March. 

The  Newhall  House  Hotel  m  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  is  destroye<J 
by  fire,  in  which  100  lives  are  lost,  10  Jan. 


Jbistw-y  of  the  United  States.  263 

William  E.  Dodge,  a  prominent  merchant  and  philanthropist 
of  New  York,  dies,  9  Feb.,  aged  77. 

Hon.  Marshall  Jewell,  of  Conn.,  ex-Governor  and  ex-Post 
master-General,  dies,  10  Feb. 

Hon.  Edwin  D.  Morgan,  war  Governor  of  New  York,  dies  in 
New  York  City,  14  Feb.,  aged  73 ;  his  will  bequeaths  $795,000 
to  various  charitable  and  educational  institutions. 

Hon.  Alexander  H,  Stephens,  Vice-President  of  the  Southern 
Confederacy  and  (after  the  war)  a  member  of  Congress  from 
Georgia,  dies  Governor  of  the  State,  at  Atlanta,  4  March,  aged 
72. 

The  Grand  Jury  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  finds  indictments 
against  Gen.  Brady  and  ex-Senator  Kellogg,  of  La,,  for  com 
plicity  in  the  Star-Route  frauds,  27  March  ;  the  taking  if  evi 
dence  in  the  new  trial  closes,  12  April;  W.W.  Ker  sums  up  for 
the  Government,  and  is  followed  by  Mr.  Bliss,  also  of  the  p-ose- 
cution,  who  speaks  seven  days,  concluding  8  May  ;  the  charge 
to  the  jury  is  delivered,  12  June,  and  the  jury  bring  in  a  verdict 
of  not  guilty  as  indicted,  14. 

James  Gilfillan,  U.  S.  Treasurer,  resigns,  1  April,  and  Assist 
ant  Treasurer  A.  U.  Wynian  is  appointed  his  successor. 

Peter  Cooper,  the  well-known  philanthropist  and  foundei  of 
the  Cooper  Institute,  dies  in  New  York,  4  April,  aged  92 

As  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  Gen.  Butler  begins  a  crusade 
against  the  administration  of  the  Tewksbury  Poor-house, 
charging  revolting  acts  upon  the  officers,  18  April ;  in  a  subse 
quent  trial  his  charges  are  not  sustained. 

A  treaty  between  the  U.  S.  and  Corea  is  ratified  at  Seoul,  15 
May. 

S.  G.  W.  Benjamin  is  appointed  first  Minister  resident  and 
Consul-General  of  the  U.  S.  in  Persia,  May,  and  reaches  Teheran 
in  June. 

The  great  suspension  bridge,  spanning  the  East  River  from 
New  York  to  Brooklyn,  is  formally  opened,  24  May.  Designed 
by  John  A,  Roebling,  C.  E.,  work  upon  it  was  begun  3  Jan., 
1870,  and  prosecuted,  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Roebling,  under 
the  direction  of  his  son  Washington  A.  Roebling,  C,  E.  The 
total  length  from  the  City  Hall,  New  York,  to  Sand  Street, 
Brooklyn,  is  5,989  feet;  the  length  of  the  main  span  is  1,595£  ft., 
the  towers  are  276|  feet  high,  and  the  floor  of  the  bridge  at  the 
centre  is  135  feet  above  high-water  mark;  each  cable  is  15f 
inches  in  diameter,  and  is  composed  of  6,000  wires,  each  one- 
eighth  inch  in  diameter;  the  total  cost  is  about  $15,500,000, 
which  is  borne  equally  by  the  two  cities, 

Through  the  liberality  of  W.W.  Corcoran,  the  millionaire  of 
Washington,  D.  C.,  the  remains  of  John  Howard  Payne,  the 
author  of  "  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  who  died  U,  S.  Cousul  at 
Tunis,  1  April,  1852,  are  brought  to  the  U.  S.;  after  im 
pressive  services,  in  which  the  President  of  the  U,  S.,  his  Cabi 
net,  and  other  distinguished  personages  take  part,  the  remains 
are  finally  deposited  in  Oak  Hill  Cemetery, Washington,  D  C., 
•June. 

The  U,  S,  S,  Yantic  and  the  Arctic  steamer  Proteus  leave  St, 


364  History  of  the  United  States. 

1883.    Johns,  Newfoundland,  for    the  relief  of  the  Greely  scientific 
expedition  to  Lady  Franklin  Bay,  29  June. 

At  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year,  30  June,  there  are  303,658 
pensioners  on  the  Government  rolls,  of  whom  198,648  are  army 
invalids,  74,374  army  widows,  minor  children,  and  dependent 
relatives,  2,468  navy  invalids,  1,907  navy  widows,  minor  chil 
dren,  and  dependent  relatives,  4,831  survivors  of  the  wur  of 
1812,  and  31, 333  widows  of  men  who  served  in  that  war;  the 
amount  of  all  the  pensions  is  $32,245,193.43;  the  total  amount 
paid  on  pension  account  during  the  fiscal  year  was  $60,064,^ 
009.23,  nearly  one-half  of  which  was  for  arrears.  The  reduction 
in  the  interest-bearing  debt  during  the  year  is  $125,581,250. 
which  secures  a  permanent  annual  reduction  in  the  interest 
charge  of  $5,923,401;  the  annual  charge  on  interest  account  is  • 
now  $51,436,709,  a  reduction  of  $99,541,291  in  18  years,  during 
which  the  principal  of  the  debt  has  been  reduced  $1,205,340,- 
864.  The  total  coinage  at  the  Philadelphia  mint  during  the  year 
amounts  to  80,691,282  pieces,  valued  at  $21,483,759. 

The  333d  year  of  the  existence  of  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  is 
historically  observed,  2  July. 

Captain  Matthew  Webb,  the  famous  English  swimmer,  is 
drowned  in  an  attempt  to  swim  through  the  whirlpool  at  Niagara 
Falls,  24  July. 

Enoch  Pratt  executes  a  deed  of  the  property  of  the  Pratt 
Free  Library  to  the  city  of  Baltimore,  and  gives  his  check  foi 
$833,333  to  be  invested  for  the  support  of  the  library,  July. 

President  Arthur  opens  a  Southern  Industrial  Exposition  at 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  1  Aug. 

The  city  of  Galveston,  Texas,  celebrates  the  centenary  of 
its  incorporation,  13  Aug. 

The  celebration  of  the  completion  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
Sailroad  is  begun  at  St.  Pauls,  Minn.,  3  Sep. ;  the  last  spike  ia 
driven  at  Independence  Gulch,  western  Montana,  8. 

President  Arthur  officially  receives  the  Corean  Ambassadors 
in  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel,  New  York,  18  Sep. 

The  reduction  in  the  rate  of  letter  postage  from  xnree  cents  to 
two  goes  into  effect,  1  Oct. 

The  centennial  convention  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  America  is  held  in  Christ  Church,  Philadelphia, 
beginning  3  Oct. 

The  Exposition  buildings  at  Pittsburg,  Penn  ,  \vith  all  then- 
contents,  are  destroyed  by  fire,  3  Oct ,  involving  a  loss  of  $150,- 
000  on  buildings  and  $800.000  on  exhibits. 

The  bicentennial  of  the  first  German  settlement  in  the  U.  8, 
k  celebrated  at  Germantown,  Penn. ,  6  Oct. 

The  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  pronounces  a  number  of  the 
provisions  of  the  Civil  Rights  Bill  unconstitutional,  15  Oct. 

The  command  of  the  armies  of  the  U.  S.  is  transferred  from 
Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman,  retired  apon  age-limit,  to  Lieut.-Gen. 
Philip  H.  Sheridan,  1  Nov. 

Dr.  J.  Marion  Sims,  the  great  surgeon  and  founder  of  the 
Women's  Hospital  in  New  Yor*,  dies,  13  Nov.,  aged  70. 

A  n>m*Tk*We  wwitilever  bridge  it  constructed  acros*  the 


History  of  me   WiitecC  States.  265 

1883.  Niagara.  River,  and  a  test  train  of  22  locomotives  and  22  loaded 

gravel  cars  passes  over  in  safety,  22  Dec. 

The  importations  of  crockery  during  the  year  are  estimated 
at  $8.000.000,  an  increase  of  £2,000,000  over  the  previous  year, 
due.  it  is  claimed,  to  the  construction  of  the  recent  revision  of 
the  tariff  on  crockery,  which  practically  gives  the  English 
manufacturers  the  advantage  of  a  10  per  cent,  reduction  in  the 
duties. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $258, 570, 604  ;  the  debt 
is  $1.873.415,924;  the  imports  are  $751,670,305;  and  the  exports, 
$825,840313. 

1884.  Dr.  Edward  Lasker,  the  distinguished  German  Liberal,  dies  in 

New  York,  4  Jan  ;  funeral  services  are  held  in  the  Temple 
Emanu-El,  10 ;  resolutions  of  condolence  with  the  German 
people  are  adopted  in  the  National  House  of  Representatives 
and  forwarded  to  Prince  Bismarck,  to  be  laid  before  the  Parlia 
ment  ;  declining  to  do  so  for  political  reasons  he  returns  the 
resolutions  with  an  explanation,  16  Feb. 

Julius  Hallgarten,  a  wealthy  banker  of  New  York,  dies  at 
Davos,  Switzerland,  7  Jan.-  his  will  disposes  of  $3,000,000  to 
charitable  and  educational  institutions. 

The  steamship  City  of  Columbus  leaves  Boston  for  Savannah, 
16  Jan.,  and  is  wrecked  off  Gay  Head,  southwest  end  of  Mar- 
tha's  Vineyard,  Mass.,  18;  of  126  officers,  crew,  and  passeng 
ers,  only  29  are  saved. 

A  bill  to  restore  Gen.  Fitz  John  Porter  to  the  army  and  retire 
him  with  the  rank  of  Colonel  passes  the  House,  1  Feb.,  and 
the  Senate,  13  March;  it  is  vetoed  by  the  President,  2  July. 

Wendell  Phillips,  the  veteran  Abolitionist  and  orator,  dies  at 
Boston,  2  Feb.,  aged  72. 

Congress  appropriates  $300, OOu  for  the  aid  of  the  sufferers  by 
the  western  floods,  11  Feb.,  and  grants  $200,000  additional,  15. 

A  commercial  convention  between  the  U.  S.  and  Spain  is 
signed,  13  Feb. 

The  remains  of  the  victims  of  the  Jeannette  Arctic  disaster, 
Lieut. -Commander  George  W.  DeLong,  U.  S.  N.;  Jerome  J. 
Collins,  meteorologist;  .James  M.  Ambler,  surgeon;  Walter 
Lee,  George  W.  Boyd,  Heiiirich  Knaack,  Carl  A.  Gortz,  Adoli 
Dressier,  and  Nelse  Ivorson,  seamen;  and  Ah  Sam,  Chinese 
cook,  in  charge  of  Lieut.  Harber  and  Master  Schnetze,U.  S.  N., 
reach  New  York,  20  Feb.;  the  official  reception  takes  place,  22, 
when  the  bodies  are  taken,  in  a  most  impressive  procession,  to 
the  Brooklyn  Navy-yard,  via  the  East  River  Bridge;  funeral 
ceremonies  are  held  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  New 
York,  23,  after  which  interments  are  made  according  to  the 
wishes  of  the  relatives  of  the  deceased. 

A  treaty  between  the  U.  S.  and  Mexico  is  ratified  toy  our  Sen 
ate,  1  March,  and  by  the  Mexican  Congress,  15  May. 

Cincinnati  has  a  three  days'  reign  of  mob  rule  and  terror, 
28-30  March;  the  trouble  originates  in  the  maladministration  of 
justice,  the  particular  case  being  the  rendition  by  a  jury  of  a 
verdict  of  manslaughter  against  William  Berner  in  the  face  of 
the  -clearest  evidence  convicting  him  of  the  brutal  murder  of 
William  Kirk.  The  mob  first  attack  and  fire  the  jail,  and  then 


966  History  of  the   United  States. 

1884.  burn  and  gut  the  Court-house  in  spite  of  the  presence  and  bul 
lets  of  the  militia;  43  are  killed,  and  120  wounded. 

The  steamship  Bear  sails  from  the  Brooklyn  Navy-yard  for 
the  relief  of  the  Greely  Arctic  Expedition,  24  April,  and  is 
followed  by  the  Alert  and  the  Thetis. 

Brig.-Gen.  D.  G.  Svvaini,  Judge  Advocate-General  of  the 
army,  is  charged  with  having  attempted  to  defraud  a  bank 
ing  firm  in  Washington,  and  with  failing  to  report  an  army 
officer  who  had  duplicated  his  pay  account;  a  court  of  inquiry 
is  ordered,  22  April,  and  it  reports,  10  June,  in  favor  of  a  trial 
by  court-martial;  the  trial  opens.  10  Sep.,  and  the  accused  is 
Sentenced  to  suspension  from  duty  for  twelve  years  on  half 
pay. 

Charles  0' Conor,  the  distinguished  lawyer,  dies  at  Nantucket, 
12  May,  aged  80. 

The  National  Anti-Monopoly  Convention  is  held  at  Chicago, 
14  May,  and  Gen.  B,  F.  Butler  receives  the  Presidential  nomi 
nation;  he  also  receives  the  nomination  in  the  National  Green- 
back  Convention,  28. 

The  month  of  May  is  one  of  the  great  financial  sensations  in 
New  York.  First  comes  the  intelligence  of  the  failure  of  James 
K.  Keene,  who  is  said  to  have  lost  a  fortune  of  $4,000,000;  in 
the  following  week,  the  Marine  Bank,  of  which  James  D.  Fish 
is  president,  fails  with  heavy  liabilities;  this  causes  the  suspen 
sion  of  the  firm  of  Grant  and  Ward,  in  which  Gen.  Grant  is 
supposed  to  be  a  silent  partner,  almost  immediately,  with  liabili 
ties  estimated  at  $8,000,000;  and  the  Metropolitan  Bank  suc 
cumbs,  14.  The  Grant  and  Ward  failure  causes  the  most  excite 
ment  as  the  astounding  methods  of  Ferdinand  Ward,  the 
active  member,  come  to  light,  and  the  connection  of  James  D. 
Fish  with  the  firm  is  developed.  Gen.  Grant  is  induced  to  bor 
row  $150,000  of  William  H.  Vanderbilt,  for  one  day,  but  the 
money  is  received  too  late  to  save  the  bankrupt  firm.  The  Gen. 
mortgages  all  his  property  to  Mr.  Vanderbilt,  and  is  said  to 
have  lost  his  entire  savings.  A  relief  fund  is  at  once  started  for 
his  benefit,  Mr.  Vanderbilt  generously  offering  to  cancel  the 
General's  indebtedness  to  him  for  Mrs.  Grant's  benefit,  but  the 
General  and  his  wife  decline.  Fish  and  Ward  are  subsequently 
arrested,  and  locked  up  in  Ludlow  Street  jail. 

The  National  Republican  Convention  is  held  at  Chicago,  con 
vening  8  June;  Gen.  John  B.  Henderson,  of  Mo.,  is  chosen 


permanent  president.  Messrs.  Joseph  R.  Hawley,  Conn.;  John 
A,  Logan,  III.;  James  G,  Elaine, Me.'  President  Arthur, N.Y.; 
John  Sherman,  Ohio;  and  G-eorge  F.  Edmunds,  Vt.,  are  pro 


posed  as  candidates  for  the  Presidential  nomination.  The  fourth 
and  last  ballot  gives  Blame  541;,  Arthur,  207;  Edmunds,  41; 
Hawley,  15;  Logan,  7;  and  Robert  T.  Lincoln,  2;  Mr.  Blaine's 
nomination  is  then  made  unanimous.  Gen.  John  A.  Logan 
receives  the  nomination  for  Vice-President.  B.  F.  Jones,  of 
Penn.,  is  elected  chairman  of  the  National  Committee,  and  J. 
B.  ChafTee,  of  Col.,  chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee.  ^ 

The  Arctic  relief  squadron,  consisting  of  the  Bear,  the  Theti*t 
*nd  the  Alert,  which  sailed  from  New  York  in  Maf  under  com- 
mand  of  Commander  W.  S.  Schley,  U,  S.  N.,  to  rescue  Lieut 


History  ojr  me  €?nited  States,  267 

A.W.  Greely,  U.  S,  A.,  and  the  members  of  his  scientific  expe 
dition  to  Lady  Franklin  Bay,  find  Lieut.  Greely,  Sergt.  Brain- 
ard,  Sergeant  Fredericks,  Sergeant  Long,  Hospital-Steward 
Beiberbeck,  and  Private  Connell  alive  near  the  mouth  of  Smith's 
Sound,  22  June;  Sergt.  Ellison  is  among  the  survivors,  but  he 
dies  shortly  after  the  rescue;  all  the  rest  of  the  party  are  dead. 
The  relief  squadron  reaches  Portsmouth  harbor  on  the  return,  1 
Aug,, where  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy, with  several  war-vessels, 
is  in  waiting  to  greet  the  survivors;  a  grand  land  demonstration 
in  honor  of  the  rescue  takes  place,  4;  the  bodies  of  the  dead 
are  brought  to  Governor's  Island,  NewYork,when,  after  affect 
ing  ceremonies,  the  relatives  and  friends  take  possession  of 
them  for  burial. 

The  National  Democratic  Convention  is  held  at  Chicago, 
opening  8  July;  Hon.  William  F.  Vilas,  of  Wis.,  is  chosen 
permanent  president,  Messrs.  Thomas  F.  Bayard,  Thomas  A. 
Hendricks,  Allan  G.  Thurman,  John  G.  Carlisle,  Grover  Cleve 
land,  Governor  Hoadley  (Ohio),  and  Samuel  J.  Randall  are 
presented  as  candidates  for  the  Presidential  nomination.  On  the 
first  ballot  Mr.  Cleveland  receives  392  votes;  Mr.  Bayard,  170; 
Mr.  McDonald,  56:  Mr.  Randall,  78:  Mr.  Thurman,  88;  Mr. 
Carlisle,  27;  Mr,  Hoadley,* 3;  and  Messrs.  Hendricks,  Tilden, 
and  R.  P.  Flower,  1  each.  On  the  fourth  day,  the  second  ballot 
gives  Mr.  Cleveland  683;  Mr.  Bayard,  81$;  Mr.  Hendricks,  45£; 
Mr.  Thurman,  4;  Mr.  Randall,  4;  and  Mr.  McDonald,  2,  where 
upon  the  nomination  of  Goy.  Cleveland  is  made  unanimous. 
Hon.  Thomas  A.  Hendricks  is  elected  candidate  for  the  Vrice- 
Presidency.  Hon.  William  H.  Barnum,  of  Conn.,  is  elected 
chairman  of  the  National  Committee,  and  U.  S.  Senator  Gor- 
ham,  of  Md.,  chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee. 

A  conference  of  the  Independents  is  held  in  New  York, 
under  the  presidency  of  Charles  R.  Codman,  of  Mass.,  22  July, 
at  which  the  declaration  is  made  that  the  Independent  RepuK 
licans  will  labor  for  the  success  of  the  Democratic  nominees. 

The  Prohibitionists  hold  their  National  Convention  in  Pitts- 
burg,  Penn.,  23-24  July,  and  nominate  ex-Gov.  John  P.  St. 
John,  of  Kan.,  for  President,  and  William  Daniel,  of  Md.,  for 
Vice-President. 

The  National  Labor  Party  declare  their  intention  of  support 
ing  the  Democratic  nominees,  30  July. 

The  corner-stone  of  M,  Bartholdi's  statue  of  "Liberty 
Enlightening  the  World,"  on  Bedloe's  Island,  New  York  harbor, 
is  laid  with  Masonic  ceremonies,  5  Aug, 

Messrs.  Fisher  and  Mulligan  publish  the 'Blame  letters,  16 
September. 

The  Prime  Meridian  Conference  is  opened  in  Washington, 
D.  C.,  1  Oct. 

Judge  Gresham,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  resigns  and  is 
appointed  Circuit  Judge  for  the  Seventh  U.  S.  Circuit,  28  Oct.; 
ex-Secretary  Hugh  Me  Cullough  succeeds  him  in  the  Treasury 
Department. 

The  Presidential  election  is  held,  4  Nov.,  and  results  in  the 
Section  of  Messrs.  Cleveland  and  Hendricks.  The  Democratic 
receives  4,911,017  uopuUr  rod.  219 electoral  votes;  the 


History  of  the  United  State* 


1884. 


Republican,  4,848,334  popular  and  182  electoral;  the  Greenback 
and  Anti-Monopoly  (Butler),  133,825  popular;  and  the  Prohibi 
tion  (St.  John),  151,809  popular;  the  Democratic  ticket  has  & 
plurality  of  62,683  votes. 

A  reciprocity  treaty  between  the  U.  S.  and  Santo  Domingo 
is  signed  at  Washington,  4  Dec. 

The  marble  cap-stone,  which  completes  the  famous  Washing 
ton  Monument  at  the  national  capital,  is  set,  6  Dec, 

The  third  Koman  Catholic  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore, 
which  was  opened  9  Nov.,  with  Archbishop  Gibbons  as  Apostolic 
Delegate  and  President,  closes  its  sessions,  7  Dec. 

The  New  Orleans  Exposition  is  formally  opened,  16  Dec. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $254,228,263;  the  debt 
is  $1,915,647,059:  the  import*  *re  $695, 123, 955:  and  the  exports, 
$807,646,992. 

1885.  Hon.  Schuyler  Colfax,  ex- Vice-President  of  tiie  U.  S  ,  dies 
suddenly  in  the  railroad  depot  at  Mankato,  Minn.,  13  Jan., 
aged  61. 

A  bill  to  place  Gen.  Grant  on  the  retired  list  of  the  army  is 
passed  in  the  Senate,  14  Jan.,  but  is  lost  in  the  House,  16  Feb.; 
the  House  passes  the  bill,  4  March. 

Lucille  Yseult  Dudley,  a"n  English  woman,  attempts  to  kill 
Jeremiah  O'Donovan  Rossa,  by  shooting  him  in  Chambers  St., 
New  York,  2  Feb  ;  he  recovers;  she  is  tried  for  the  assault  and 
acquitted  on  the  ground  of  insanity,  30  June. 

The  Washington  Monument,  at  the  national  capital,  is  dedi 
cated,  21  Feb.,  the  Hon.  Robert  C.  Winthrop  delivering  the 
chief  oration. 

Hon.  Grover  Cleveland  is  inaugurated  22d  President  of  the 
U.  S.,  4  March.  The  U.  S.  Senate  meets  in  special  executive 
session  the  same  day.  The  President  nominates  his  cabinet 
officers,  5,  as  follows:  Secretary  of  State,  Thomas  P.  Bay 
ard,  Del.;  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Daniel  Manning,  N.  Y,; 
Secretary  of  War,  William  C.  Endicott,  Mass.;  Secretary  or 
the  Navy  William  C.Whitney,  N.Y.;  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
L.  Q.C.  £jamar,Miss.:  Attorney-General,  A.  H.  Garland,  Ark.; 
Postma  ter-General,  William  F.  Vilas,  Wis.;  the  nomination* 
are  confirmed,  6, 

The  President  withdraws  the  Nicaragua  Canal  and  Spanish 
reciprocity  treaties  from  the  Senate  for  further  consideration, 
13  March,  He  issues  a  proclamation,  13,  warning  all  white  set- 
tiers  off  the  Oklahoma  country,  Indian  Territory . 

The  Senate  approves  the  convention  witli  Mexico  for  rectify 
ing  the  boundary  and  for  prolonging  the  term  for  ratifying  the 
treaty  of  commerce,  19  March. 

Secretary  Whitney  asks  for  an  accounting  from  John  Roach, 
and  institutes  an  investigation,  20  March,  of  the  Navy  Depart 
ment;  this  action  is  followed  by  the  suspension  of  Mr.  Roach. 

The  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  declares  the  constitutionality  of  the 
Edmund's  anti-polygamy  bill,  23  March. 

Costa  Rica,  Nicaragua,  and  Salvador  form  an  alliance  to 
resist  the  President  of  Guatemala,  who  crosses  the  frontier  of 
Salvador  with  15,000  men,  28  March-  the  insurgents  burn  As- 
Y-lnwall,  1  April,  and  U.  8.  troops  and  marines  a.r«  sent  ihitbet 


History  of  the   United  States.  269 

1885*    to  protect  the  communications  between  Aspin wall  and  Colon,  2. 

The  Central  American  Republics  conclude  peace,  16.  A  treaty 
between  the  U.  S.  and  the  Government  of  Colombo  for  the  joint 
preservation  of  order  on  the  Isthmus  is  concluded,  3  May.  Gen 
Prestan  is  executed  for  the  burning  of  Aspinwall,  25  Aug.  v 

James  D.  Fish,  president  of  the  suspended  Marine  Bank,  of 
New  York,  and  secretly  connected  with  the  firm  of  Grant  and 
Ward,  is  found  guilty  on  charges  of  misappropriation  of  funds, 
11  April,  and  is  sentenced  to  10  years'  imprisonment,  at  hard 
labor,  at  Sing  Sing,  N.  Y.,  27  June. 

Anthony  M.  Keiley,  of  Va.,  is  appointed  U.  S.  Minister  to 
Italy,  30  April.  The  Italian  Government  expresses  its  unwil 
lingness  to  receive  him.  whereupon  the  President  appoints  him 
Minister  to  Austria;  that  Government  also  declines  to  receive 
him,  upon  which  the  nomination  is  withdrawn  and  the  mission 
left  vacant. 

Ferdinand  Ward  is  indicted  for  his  notorious  actions  as 
active  member  of  the  suspended  rirm  of  Grant  and  Ward,  4 
June;  he  pleads  not  guilty,  5;  is  tried,  convicted,  and  sen 
tenced  to  10  years'  imprisonment  at  hard  labor,  at  Sing  Sins:, 
N.  Y.,  iNov. 

A  diplomatic  understanding  is  effected  between  the  U.  S. 
gtate  Department  and  the  British  Minister  at  Washington  for 
the  extension  of  the  privileges  secured  by  the  fishery  clause  of 
the  treaty  of  Washington  throughout  the  season  now  opened, 
official  notice  of  which  is  given,  25  June. 

Gen.  U.  S.  Grant,  ex-President  of  the  U.  S.,  dies  at  Mt. 
Me  Gregor,  N.Y.,  23  July.,  aged  63.  He  had  been  suffering 
several  months  with  a  cancer  on  the  tongue,  and  his  removal 
from  his  New  York  residence  to  Mt.  McGregor  was  for  the  pur 
pose  of  enabling  him  to  recuperate  sufficiently  from  the  shock 
of  the  disastrous  failure  of  Grant  and  Ward  and  the  loss  of  his 
own  fortune  to  complete  the  personal  narrative  of  his  military 
career,  which  he  designed  for  the  support  of  his  family.  The 
remains  are  taken  from  Mt.  McGregor,  4  Aug.;  and  lie  in  state 
In  the  City  Hull,  New  York,  6;  Gen.  VV.  S.  Hancock  is  placed 
In  command  of  the  funeral  ceremonies,  which  take  place,  8, 
the  remains  being  deposited  in  a  temporary  tomb  erected  on  a 
site  in  Riverside  Park,  selected  by  the  family  and  presented  by 
the  city  of  New  York. 

An  attack  is  made  upon  the  Chinese  at  Rock  Springs,  Wyo 
ming  Territory,  2  Sep.,  when  a  mob  massacres  50  of  them,  and 
forces  others  to  flee  for  their  lives;  further  assaults  are  made 
upon  them  both  at  Rock  Springs  and  Seattle,  Washington 
Territory,  8;  the  representatives  of  the  Chinese  Government 
at  Washington  demand  that  the  ring-leaders  be  punished; 
5  Chinamen  are  murdered  in  Idaho,  21,  and  a  second  outbreak 
occurs  in  Washington  Territory,  29;  the  Grand  Jury  of  Rock 
Springs  fail  to  find  indictments  against  the  perpetrators  of  the 
murders,  7  Oct.;  the  President  issues  a  proclamation  against 
Chinese  outrages  on  the  Pacific  coast,  7  Nov. ;  the  Seattle  Grand 
Jury  indict  13  persons  for  anti-Chinese  disturbances,  12. 

William  Page,  the  well-known  artist,  dies  at  Tottenytile.  N. 
Y.,  lOct,  aged  74. 


270  History  of  the   United  States. 

f 

1885.  Flood  Rock,  near  Hallett's  Point,  East  River,  New  York,  is 
successfully  blown  up  by  Gen.  John  Newton,  U.  S.  A.,  10  Oct. 

Gen.  George  B.  McClellan,  formerly  Commander-in-Chief  of 
the  armies  of  the  U.  S.  and  latterly  Governor  of  New  Jer 
sey,  dies  suddenly  at  his  residence  on  the  Orange  Mountains,  29 
Oct.,  aged  58. 

Galveston,  Texas,  has  a  $2,500,000  conflagration,  13  Nov. 

Hon.  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  Vice-President  of  the  U.  S., 
dies  at  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  25  Nov.,  aged  66. 

The  first  session  of  the  49th  Congress  is  opened,  7  Dec.;  Hon. 
John  Sherman,  of  Ohio,  is  elected  president  pro  tern  of  the 
Senate,  and  Hon.  John  G.  Carlisle,  of  Ky.,  speaker  of  the 
House. 

William  H.  Vanderbilt,  favorite  son  of  the  Commodore,  dies 
suddenly  at  his  New  York  residence,  8  Dec.,  aged  64;  he  leaves 
a  fortune  estimated  at  $200,000,000. 

Senator  Hoar's  Presidential  Succession  Bill  is  passed  by  the 
Senate,  17  Dec. 

Congress  votes  a  pension  of  $5,000  per  annum  to  the  widow 
of  ex-President  Grant,  18  Dec. 

Prof.  John  C.  Draper,  of  New  York,  dies,  20  Dec.,  aged  50. 

The  national  expenses  for  the  year  are  $255, 859, 012;  the  debt 
is  $1,907,540,580;  the  imports  are  $620,719,173;  and  the  exports, 
$784,406,414. 

1886  Senator  Hoar's  Presidential  Succession  Bill  is  passed  in  the  House 
by  a  vote  of  183  to  77,  15  Jan.,  and  is  approved  by  the  Presi 
dent,  19. 

The  New  York  Stats  Senate  appoints  a  committee,  26  Jan.,  to 
investigate  the  methods  by  which  Jacob  Sharp  and  others 
obtained  consent  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  of  New  York  City 
to  the  construction  of  the  Broadway  Surface  Railroad;  the  com 
mittee  engage  Hou,  Roscoe  Conkling  as  chief  counsel,  and  enter 
upon  the  investigation  promptly.  It  is  learned,  19  Feb.,  that 
10,000  shares  of  the  Broadway  and  Seventh  Ave.  Railroad  Co. 's 
stock  have  been  sold  by  the  directors  to  a  Philadelphia  syndi 
cate;  on  the  following  day  an  injunction  is  served  upon  the 
directors  to  prevent  the  transfer.  A  resolution  is  introduced  into 
the' Assembly,  23,  asking  the  Attorney-General  to  take  steps  to 
have  the  charter  of  the  Co.  annulled.  A  witness  before  the 
Senate  Committee,  27,  testifies  that  Jacob  Sharp  has  boasted 
that  he  has  "  fixed  "  the  Aldermen,  and  the  sum  of  $400,000  is 
mentioned  as  the  price.  Judge  Gildersleeve  charges  the  new 
Grand  Jury  strongly  on  the  subject  of  bribery,  2  March.  The 
Senate  Committee  make  a  preliminary  report,  9,  charging  cor 
ruption  and  bribery  against  the  promoters  of  the  road.  Four 
bills  are  immediately  introduced  to  annul  the  charter,  Henry 
W,  Jaehne,  Vice-President  of  the  Common  Council,  is  arrested 
on  a  bench  warrant,  18,  for  having  confessed  to  Police  Inspec 
tor  Byrnes  that  he  had  received  $20,000  for  voting  for  Jacob 
Sharp's  Broadway  surface  road  on  30  Aug.,  1884;  he  is 
indicted,  placed  on  trial,  10  May,  convicted,  15,  and  sentenced, 
20,  to  imprisonment  for  9  years  and  10  months  at  hard  labor  at 
Sing  Sing,  Ex- Alderman  Charles  B.  Waite  is  taken  before  the 
District- Attorney,  1  April,  and  after  a  secret  interview,Williain 


History  of  the   United  States.  271 

P.  Kirk,  president  of  the  Council  when  the  franchise  was  voted, 
and  James  Pearson,  an  Alderman,  are  arrested  and  indicted 
for  bribery.  William  H.  Miller  is  arrested  in  Florida,  and 
James  A.  Richmond,  and  Messrs.  Michael  Duffy,  A.  J.  Mc- 
Quade,  R.  A,  Fullgraff,  Louis  Wendel,  Thomas  Cleary,  Thomas 
Shells,  Patrick  Farley,  H.  L.  Sayles,  John  O'Xeii,  and  Francis 
McCabe,  of  the  Board  of  1884,  are  arrested,  13,  and  Charles  H. 
Reilly,  14;  all  are  indicted  for  bribery  and  required  to  furnish 
|25,000  bail.  Under  the  direction  of  the  Attorney-General, 
John  J.  O'Brien  is  appointed  receiver  of  the  road,  17  May, 

The  House  passes  a  bill  to  increase  the  pensions  of  widows 
and  dependent  survivors  of  Union  soldiers  from  $8  to  $12  per 
month,  1  Feb. 

Gen  Winfield  Scott  Hancock,  U.  S.  A.  commanding  the 
Military  Department  of  the  Atlantic,  and  one  of  the  most  strik 
ing  figures  in  the  civil  war  on  the  Union  side,  dies  on  Govern- 
or's-Jsland,  New  York,  9  Feb.,  aged  62. 

Hon.  Horatio  Seymour,  ex-Governor  of  New  York,  dies  at 
Utica,  13  Feb.,  aged  75. 

A  growing  discontent  among  the  horse-car  drivers  and  con- 
ducters  in  New  York  is  developed  early  in  Feb.;  the  men  on 
the  Fourth  Avenue  line  strike  against  a  new  time  and  pay 
schedule,  17,  and  secure  their  demands  in  a  few  hours;  t lie- 
Eighth  and  Ninth  Avenue  lines  are  tied  up  by  order  of  the 
Empire  Protective  Association,  18.  A  more  general  strike  occurs 
4  March,  and  several  roads  determine  to  run  the  cars  at  all  haz 
ards,  and  a  few  are  run  with  great  difficulty  under  police  pro 
tection;  on  the  following  day  ail  the  surface  roads  are  tied  up 
State  railroad  Commissioner  O'Donnell  effects  an  understand 
ing  between  the  companies  and  their  employes,  but  it  proves 
merely  temporary;  by  the  middle  of  April,  the  strike  so  extends 
that  only  two  lines  are  running.  The  most  determined  stand  is 
against  the  Third  Avenue  line,  which  discharges  all  its  striking 
employes,  hires  new  ones,  and  runs  its  cars  with  two  police 
officers  on  each,  to  the  close  of  the  strike. 

John  B.  Gough,  the  famous  temperance  orator,  diesatFrank- 
fort,  Penn.,  while  on  a  lecturing  tour,  17  Feb.,  aged  68. 

The  U.  S.  Senate  passes  a  bill  appropriating  $25,000  for  a 
monument  to  ex-President  Grant,  to  be  erected  in  Washing-ton, 
23  Feb. 

President  Cleveland  sends  a  message  to  the  Senate,  1  March, 
forcibly  stating  his  views  as  to  the  right  of  that  body  to  demand 
from  the  Executive  the  various  papers  considered  by  him 
in  connection  with  removals  from  office,  claiming  that  all  such 
information  is  of  a  strictly  Confidential  character,  to  be  used 
only  for  the  benefit  of  the  country  as  an  aid  to  the  Executive  in 
discharging  his  duty  in  the  matter  of  appointments  and  removals. 
The  Senate,  under  the  lead  of  Senator  Edmunds,  decides  by  a 
majority  of  1,  that  it  has.  the  right  to  call  for  all  such  docu 
ments. 

The  President  sends  a  message  to  Congress,  2  March,  con 
cerning  the  outrages  cenimitted  upon  the  Chinese  at  Rock 
Springs.  Wyoming  Territory,  stating,  as  his  opinion,  that  the 


272  History  of  the   United  Mates. 

1886.  U,  S.  is  not  liable  either  by  treaty  or  international  law  for  the 
loss  of  life  and  property,  at  the  same  time  suggesting  that  it 
would  be  in  harmony  with  the  common  sentiment  of  humanity 
for  Congress  to  indemnify  the  sufferers. 

The  U.S.  Senate  passes  the  Blair  Educational  Bill,  which 
provides  for  an  appropriation  of  $79,000,000  to  be  distributed 
among  the  States  on  the  basis  of  the  illiteracy  of  persons  ove;' 
10  years  of  age,  except  in  the  cases  of  the  white  and  colored 
schools,  where  it  is  to  be  distributed  on  the  basis  of  illiterate 
persons  of  school  age,  5  March. 

A  general  order  is  issued,  taking  effect  6  March,  directing  the 
Knights  of  Labor  to  boycott  the  Gould  Railroad  System  in  th<; 
southwest;  as  a  result  fatal  conflicts  between  the  striking  rail 
roadmen,  on  the  one  side,  and  county  officials  and  State  militia, 
on  the  other,  occur  at  Fort  Worth,  Texas,  1  April,  and  East  St. 
Louis,  9.     Boycotting  is  resorted  to  very  generally  throughout 
the  U.  S.  during  March  and  April,  the  Knights  of  Labor  order 
ing  the  majority  of  workingmen  to  strike  tor  increased  wages 
shorter  hours,  or  both. 

The  Cunard  steamship  Oregon,  with  846  persons  on  board,  i:- 
run  into  and  sunk  by  a  heavily  loaded  three-masted  schooner, 
supposed  to  be  the  (Jharle*  H.  Morse,  of  Philadelphia,  off  the 
Long  Island  coast,  14  March;  the  strange  craft  sinks  almost 
immediately  after  the  collision;  all  the  passengers,  the  crew, 
and  some  of  the  mail  of  the  Oregon  are  transferred  without 
accident  to  the  steamship  Fulda,  and  sent  to  New  York. 

The  U.  S.  Senate  passes  a  bill  for  the  admission  of  Washing 
ton  Territory  as  a  State,  10  April, 

John  H.  Noyes,  founder  of  the  Oneida  Community,  dies  at 
Niagara  Falls,  13  April,  aged  74.  > 

An  eight-hour  demonstration  is  made  by  40,000  workingmen 
in  Chicago,  1  May;  this  is  followed  by  a  general  strike,  every 
railroad  being  crippled  and  hundreds  of  manufactories  closed  j 
the  anarchists  parade  the  streets  with  red  flags,  indulge  in 
incendiary  language,  and,  precipitating  a  riot,  explode  a  dyna 
mite  bomb,  with  fatal  effects,  in  the  midst  of  the  police.  The 
mob  is  repressed,  15,  and  a  number  of  the  most  violent  anarch 
ists  are  arrested  and  charged  with  the  murder  of  the  police 
officers,  and  with  inciting  to  riot. 

Hon.  Grover  Cleveland,  President  of  the  U.  S.,  is  married  to 
Miss  Frankie  Folsom,  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Byron  G.  Sunderland,  in 
the  Executive  Mansion,  Washington,  D.  C.,  2  June. 

Most  Rev.  James  Gibbons,  Roman  Catholic  Archbishop  of 
Baltimore  and  Primate  of  the  Church  in  the  U.  S.,  is  created  a 
Cardinal  in  the  consistory  of  17  June,  and  is  solemnly  invested 
with  the  berretta  in  his  Cathedral,  30. 

Albany  celebrates  the  bicentenary  of  its  incorporation  as  a  city 
with  imposing  ceremonies  (16-23  July).  » 

Samuel  J.  Tilden,  ex-Governor  of  New  York,  and  Demo 
cratic  candidate  for  President  in  1876,  dies  at  Grey  stone,  his 
country  seat  on  the  Hudson,  near  Yonkers,  N.  Y..  4  August, 
aged  72. 


History  of  the  United  States.  278 

1886.  The  amount  paid  by  the  U.  S.  Government  for  pensions 

during  the  year  ending  30  June  is  $63,797,831,  to  865,783 
pensioners. 

The  1st  session  of  the  49th  Congress  adjourns  (5  Aug.),  hav 
ing  passed  987  bills  and  joint  resolutions,  and  voted 
$264,783,579  for  appropriations.  President  Cleveland  has 
vetoed  115  bills,  102  being  for  private  pensions  and  6  for 
public  buildings. 

Eight  of  the  Chicago  anarchists  are  found  guilty  of  murder 
(20  Aug.);  7  are  sentenced  to  be  hanged,  and  one  to  be 
imprisoned  for  life. 

A  hurricane  in  Texas  kills  38  persons  (20  Aug.). 

A  U.  S.  citizen  named  Cutting,  having  been  arrested  in 
Mexico  and  convicted  and  sentenced  for  violating  a  Mexican 
statute  for  the  punishment  of  any  foreigner  who,  in  a  foreign 
country,  commits  a  crime  against  a  Mexican  citizen,  Secretary 
of  State  Bayard  notifies  the  Mexican  Government  that  the 
application  of  such  a  law  to  a  U.  S.  citizen  will  not  be  tol 
erated  ;  and  he  demands  Cutting's  release.  The  Mexican 
Government,  without  withdrawing  its  claim  to  try  a  U.  S. 
citizen  for  an  offence  committed  in  the  U.  S.  against  a  Mex 
ican  citizen,  releases  Cutting  (23  Aug.),  as  having  been 
already  sufficiently  punished  by  his  imprisonment.  The  inter 
national  question  is  thus  left  unsettled. 

An  earthquake  shock  is  felt  throughout  a  large  part  of  the 
U.  S.,  east  of  the  Mississippi  (about  10  P.M.,  31  Aug.).  It  is 
particularly  severe  at  Charleston,  S.  C.,  where  many  build 
ings  are  destroyed  and  61  persons  are  killed.  Other  shocks 
take  place  during  Sep.  and  Oct.  ;  a  large  part  of  the  city  is 
destroyed,  millions  of  damage  being  done,  and  thousands  of 
people  rendered  homeless.  Subscriptions  for  their  relief  are 
taken  up  all  through  the  U.  S. 

Geronimo  and  a  number  of  Apaches  surrender  (4  Sep.)  to 
Gen.  Miles,  on  Skeleton  Canyon,  Arizona,  and  are  imprisoned 
at  Fort  Marion,  St.  Augustine,  Fla. 

State  elections  give  :  in  Arkansas  (6  Sep.),  20,000  Dem. 
majority  :  in  Vermont  (7  Sep.),  18,000  Rep.  majority  ;  and  in 
Maine  (13  Sep.),  13,000  Rep.  plurality. 

In  an  international  contest  at  New  York  and  Sandy  Hook, 
for  the  America's  cup,  the  Boston  sloop  Mayflower  defeats 
the  British  cutter  Galatea  in  two  consecutive  races  (7,  11  Sep.). 

A  collision  on  the  N.  Y.,  Chicago,  and  St.  Louis  R.  R.,  30 
miles  west  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  kills  23  persons  (14  Sep.). 

John  Esten  Cooke,  author,  dies  at  "The  Briars,"  near 
Boyce,  Va.  (27  Sep.). 

A  great  gale  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  causes  inundations,  and 
Sabine  Pass,  Texas,  and  Johnson's  Bayou,  La.,  are  destroyed 
by  the  waters,  247  lives  being  lost  (12  Oct.). 

"Jake"  Sharp,  James  W.  Foshay,  James  A.  Richmond, 
and  Thomas  B.  Kerr,  of  N.  Y.  City,  are  arrested  (19  Oct) 
on  a  charge  of  bribery  in  connection  with  the  Broadway 
franchise,  N.  Y.  City. 

Bartholdi's  statue  of  "  Liberty  Enlightening  the  World," 
on  Bedloe's  Island,  N.  Y.  Harbor,  is  formally  unveiled  with 


274  History  of  the  United  States. 

1886.  imposing  ceremonies,  including  a  grand  naval  parade  and  a 
procession  on  land  (38  Oct.). 

Elections  are  held  (2  Nov.)  in  all  States  except  Maine,  Ver 
mont,  and  Oregon.  The  result  is  that  the  50th  Congress  will 
probably  stand :  Democrats,  167 ;  Republicans,  154 ;  Labor, 
3;  in  place  of  Democrats,  184;  Republicans  141,  as  in  the 
present  (49th)  Congress.  An  exciting  election  in  N.  Y.  City 
for  mayor  results  as  follows  :  Hewitt  (Tammany  and  County 
Democracy),  90,552  ;  George  (Labor  and  Irving  Hall  Demo 
crat),  68,110;  Roosevelt  (Republican),  60,435;  Ward  well 
(Prohibition),  582. 

The  circulation  of  the  N.  Y.  World  (3  Nov.)  is  267,020  copies 
of  12  pages  each,  weighing  47,009  Ibs.  The  Sunday  edition, 
12  Sep.,  is  255,100  copies,  weighing  84,580  Ibs.  ;  the  edition 
for  12  Dec.  weighed  94,222  Ibs.  ;  that  for  19  Dec.,  107,876  Ibs. 
These  figures  surpass  anything  in  the  history  of  journalism . 

Arthur  J.  McQuade,  ex-alderman  of  N.  Y.  City,  is  tried  for 
bribery  in  connection  with  the  Broadway  franchise  (15-24 
Nov.)  ;  the  jury  disagree.  A  second  trial  is  had  (27  Nov.- 
15  Dec.),  and  he  is  found  guilty,  and  is  sentenced  (20  Dec.)  to 
seven  years  in  the  State  prison  and  to  pay  a  fine  of  $5000. 

Chester  Allan  Arthur,  Ex-President  of  the  U.  S.,  dies 
at  N.  Y.  City  (18  Nov.),  aged  56. 

Gen.  John  Alex.  Logan,  G.  A.  R.,  senator  from  Illinois, 
dies  at  Washington,  D.  C.  (26  Dec.),  aged  60. 

1887.  The  official  count  on  the  Minnesota  State  ticket  for  Governor 
gives  (3  Jan.):  A.  R.  Gill  (Rep.),  107,064;  A.  A.  Ames  (Dem.), 
104,464;  T.  E.  Childs,  (Proh.),  18,966. 

Bishop  Horatio  Potter  dies  in  New  York  (2  Jan.),  aged  84. 
Edward  Livingston  Youmans,  editor  of  the  Popular  Science 
Monthly,  dies  in  New  York,  (18  Jan .),  aged  65. 

Senator  Edmunds  lays  his  report  on  the  Canadian  Fisheries 
Question  before  the  Senate  (19  Jan.),  and  introduces  a  Retalia 
tion  Bill. 

John  O'Neil,  ex-Alderman  of  New  York,  is  tried  for 
bribery  in  connection  with  the  Broadway  franchise,  found 
guilty  (1  Feb.),  and  sentenced  (11  Feb.)  to  4£  years'  imprison 
ment  in  Sing  Sing,  and  to  a  fine  of  $2,000. 

A  terrible  railway  accident  occurs  on  the  Vermont  Central 
Railroad  near  White  River  Junction  (5  Feb.),  35  being  killed 
and  35  injured. 

Boycotting  is  declared  illegal  in  two  cases:  one  in  the 
United  States  Circuit  Court  in  New  York  City;  the  other  in 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Connecticut  (Feb.) 

The  49th  Congress  adjourns  (4  Mar.),  having  passed  the 
Inter- State  Commerce  Bill  (21  Jan.);  the  Canadian  Retaliation 
Non-intercourse  Bill;  the  Trade-Dollar  Bill  (19  Feb.);  and 
the  Anti-Polygamy  Bill  (Feb.),  all  of  which  become  law. 

John  Cleary,  ex-Alderman  of  New  York,  is  tried  (1-23  Mar.) 
for  bribery  in  connection  with  the  Broadway  franchise ;  the 
jury  disagree  (23  Mar.),  and  Cleary  is  released  on  bail. 

The  Rev!  Henry  Ward  Beecher  dies  in  Brooklyn  (8  Mar.), 
of  apoplexy,  aged  73. 


History  of  the  United  States.  275 

John  G.  Saxe,  one  of  our  most  popular  poets,  dies  (17  April). 

International  Sunday  School  Union  holds  its  Fifth  Con 
vention  in  Chicago  (1,  2,  and  3  June). 

General  rejoicings  (21  June)  amongst  English  residents  of  all 
the  chief  cities  of  America  on  account  of  the  jubilee  of  Queen 
Victoria. 

Terrible  railroad  disaster  at  Chatsworth,  111.  (11  Aug.).  An 
excursion  train  bound  for  the  falls  of  Niagara  is  wrecked  by 
running  over  a  burning  trestle.  Not  less  than  130  lives  were 
lost. 

The  international  yacht  race  (28  Sept.)  results  in  an  easy  vic 
tory  for  the  American  center-board  sloop,  Volunteer,  over  the 
Scotch  cutter,  Thistle. 

President  Cleveland  and  Mrs.  Cleveland  make  a  three  weeks' 
tour  of  the  Western  and  Southern  States  (1-22  Oct.)  visiting  St. 
Louis,  Chicago,  Madison,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis,  Sioux  City, 
Omaha,  Kansas  City,  Memphis,  Nashville,  Montgomery  and 
Asheville,  N.  C. 

The  Eli  Bates  Lincoln  Monument  is  unveiled  in  Lincoln  Park, 
Chicago  (22  Oct). 

The  Hon.  Elihu  B.  Washburne,  eight  years  United  States 
Minister  at  the  Court  of  France,  dies  (22  Oct.)  at  Chicago. 

Louis  Lingg,  one  of  the  condemned  anarchists,  who  was 
proved  to  be  the  manufacturer  of  the  bombs,  commits  suicide 
(9  Nov.). 

Gov.  Oglesby  commutes  the  sentences  of  Samuel  Fielden  ana 
Michel  Schwab  to  imprisonment  for  life  in  the  state  prison  at 
Joliet  (10  Nov.). 

August  Spies,  Adolph  Fischer,  A.  R.  Parsons  and  George 
Engel,  condemned  anarchists,  are  hanged  (11  Nov.)  in  Cook 
County  Jail,  Chicago. 

The  immense  menagerie  of  P.  T.  Barnum  burns  in  its  winter 
quarters (20  Nov.)  loss  $500,000. 

The  poet  Whittier  celebrates  (17  Dec.)  his  80th  birthday. 

Ex-Secretary  Manning  dies  (27  Dec.)  in  New  York. 
1888.          A.  Bronson  Alcott  dies  in  Boston,  (4  Mar.)  aged  89.     Louisa 
M.  Alcott,  his  daughter,  dies  (6  Mar.). 

German  Americans  mourn  the  death  (9  Mar.)  of  William  I., 
Emperor  of  Germany. 

Terrific  snow-storm  and  blizzard  in  New  York  (11-12-13  Mar.). 
Business  suspended;  many  lives  lost. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

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